


Mass Effect II: Lazarus Rising

by kroganwarrior22



Series: Mass Effect: Jack Shepard [2]
Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action & Romance, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama & Romance, F/M, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Interspecies Romance, M/M, Mystery, Romance, Slow Burn, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2019-07-10 11:39:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 72
Words: 236,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15948599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kroganwarrior22/pseuds/kroganwarrior22
Summary: Sequel to Mass Effect: Hope for the Galaxy! Rated Explicit for language violence and lewd lemons. Shepard and Kal pairing. All characters, settings, locations, etc. are owned by EA and BioWare, I'm just playing in their sandbox. Feedback always appreciated!





	1. Prologue: Out of the Frying Pan....

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel, I strongly recommend reading the first entry!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to stress to everyone jumping in that this is a sequel to my last piece. I would strongly recommend you read that first. You might get lost otherwise.

Jack's head was throbbing from the impact, the pain pulsating over and over again like some annoying tune from a rave party. Had the Mako flipped over three times? Four? Did it even matter at this point? The last thing he remembered was getting hit from somewhere beneath them. Since Akuze was well known for it's earthquakes recently, Jack wouldn't have been as worried as he was right now because of the noise. The roar seemed to come out of some horror vid he had stayed up late to watch when his Mom was asleep. It was definitely the kind of sound that indicated they weren't welcome anywhere near here. Not only were they not welcome, but whatever this thing was had the power to flip over their Mako like it was a toy truck.

Knowing they didn't have a lot of time, Jack started to look around to judge how bad their situation really was. To his left in the driver's seat, Major Kyle was dangling at a strange angle seemingly stuck up by his own seat belt. Beyond him was the broken side window looking out into a huge break in the normal ground of Akuze's surface. Jack wasn't usually afraid of heights, having to jump off the empire state building for his N7 training but, with that far to fall anyone would be terrified. Behind him, the gunners seat was completely empty, where was Arnold? Instead of panicking about his first lover, Jack chose to believe Vega had left to go get help from survivors of the colony. With the Mako hanging at the edge of a cliff, they were definitely going to need more help.

A groan from the Major made Jack immediately spin his head over to look at him, "Sir, are you alright? What hit us sir?"

Kyle opened an eye and saw where he could fall making him jolt, "Jesus! ... Shepard, we have to get out of here and warn the Everest. Whatever that thing was, it's been here for awhile."

Jack frowned looking around for a safe exit, "Did you see what it was sir? All I heard was that awful noise."

Kyle was trying to act professional even though he was obviously afraid of the fall right below him, "I don't need to see it to know we need to get out of here. Other colonies could be at risk Shepard."

Jack nodded starting to unhook his own seat belt, "Agreed, maybe Arnold found one of the survivors and they can tell us what happened."

He knew that the silence that surrounded their heavy breathing was a bad sign but, Jack chose to focus on the task at hand; getting Kyle out of here. If they had been on a flat surface that would've been an easy task, reach over, unhook the belt, and carry the Major to safety. However, since the Mako was hanging onto land with just three of it's six wheels, Jack was afraid reaching over would tip them off balance to the abyss. Luckily, Jack could use biotics which would hopefully be weightless. He closed his eyes and focused on the bottom of the belt only to hear a loud scream immediately from Kyle. Opening his eyes, Jack saw the belt itself was tangled with Kyle's right arm. The new problem was that whenever the belt was pulled, Kyle's arm would be yanked around in sickening ways.

Arnold's voice came from behind him outside the passenger's window, "I couldn't find anyone around anywhere... I think we're the only ones here period.. Oh my god, I'm gonna pull you both out."

Kyle groaned obviously in pain from Jack almost breaking his arm, "Do you ever just shut up Vega? Ahh!"

Jack looked back giving him a stern look, "No offense, but your muscles are going to be too heavy. Just let me handle it." He looked down at Kyle, "I know this hurts sir but, I need you to be as quiet as possible. If that thing can hear it'll come back."

Instead of closing his eyes this time, Jack focused on the tangled up mess of the belt around Kyle's arm. It was a painfully slow process to try and unhook knots with only his mind but, he was getting the hang of it. He knew he was doing a good job when the Major wasn't making any noise and just letting him do the work. The downside was he had to stay completely focused on the arm and the belt, not paying any attention to the hole beneath them. When he was about halfway through the slow work, he felt Vega's bulky, warm, muscular, arms quietly loop around his stomach. Jack could maybe see himself marrying Arnold someday but, moments like these were going to have to stop. He was in the middle of a very serious operation, he couldn't get distracted by moments of affection.

When Arnold started tugging to pull him out of the passenger window, Jack snapped his head back around, "What are you doing? I'm obviously not done yet."

Arnold's face was suddenly very pale and Jack saw the problem out of the corner of his eye. Out the front window of the Mako was a large white tooth, at least he assumed it was a tooth. It was larger than anything Jack had ever seen and was dripping a green fluid. The fluid burned away the hull of the Mako with just a single drop revealing parts to the engine. Looking past Kyle, Jack couldn't see Akuze's surface anymore but instead, a massive blue tongue. Arnold wasn't trying to be romantic, he was just trying to save Jack from being swallowed up with the rest of the Mako. He was sure his own face became just as terrified because Kyle closed his eyes looking resigned to his fate. In one fluid motion, Arnold yanked him out of the Mako and, it fell in the creatures mouth. Jack didn't get a good enough look because the monster quickly disappeared into Akuze's crust.

It was tempting to just shut down after seeing that but Jack knew they had to keep moving, turning to Arnold he said, "We have to run out of here right now!"

Arnold looked at him as though he was going crazy, "Where do you think we're going? How are we going to outrun that?"

Jack looked around the immediate area before pointing ahead of them, "The hospital, it's the tallest building in the colony. I have a theory that this thing can't hear us but, can just feel ground vibrations. If I'm right, we'll be safe on the top floor."

Another loud roar made Arnold stand up, "I hope your right, otherwise we're going to be snack food for that thing!"

Jack just started to run as fast as he could towards the hospital, knowing Arnold could keep up with him. Thankfully, Alliance colonies weren't exactly complicated in these early days of development so, there were a lot of straight roads that could go straight in every direction. Just as he suspected, Jack felt the vibrations of the monster under his feet before he heard the roar behind them. Jack had the strangest feeling that whatever this thing was, it was merely following them. Surely it was large enough that it could catch up to them in a single bound if it wanted to. What could possibly be holding it back just to chase them? Was it honestly playing with it's food?

They ran into the hospital lobby and Jack saw the elevators were powered down for repairs. Jack could have them keep running to find the stairs but, by then that thing would've destroyed the foundation down around them. If he was sure that would kill the thing, Jack would've done it without a second thought. Thinking about it though, Jack realized it could just go deeper into Akuze's crust and they would be killed from the hospital falling down around them. Maybe if he could hold it off, Arnold could use his skills as an engineer to turn the faster elevators back on.

Jack started gathering tons of biotic energy, "Arnold, I'll hold it off. You just get those elevators working as soon as possible."

Arnold nodded throwing a flashbang grenade outside, "On it, I should just be a few minutes..."

Arnold got to work on his omni tool while the grenade flashed and made sonic vibrations along the ground. Confirming Jack's theory completely, the monster went straight for it and roared in pain. It was good to know what would hurt these things for future reference. Unfortunately, the grenade didn't last long and the beast started moving towards them. Once again Jack thought it was strange that it was moving so slowly. Before it could fully turn it's attention to Jack and Arnold, Jack threw up a biotic barrier to stop the beast from entering the hospital.

Struggling to keep the barrier up from breaking due to tremendous pressure of the creature using it's head as a battering ram, Jack yelled to Arnold, "I can keep the barrier up for a few moments, just tell me when the elevator doors open!"

Instead at that moment, not telling Jack, Arnold was strapping himself with the explosives they had brought on the trip, he approached Shepard whispering in his ear, "I love you..."

The next thing Jack knew, he was being tossed into the elevator and a loud bang went off. That was the first time anyone besides his mother had said that to him.

14 years later:

_____o0o0o0o0o_____

Jack woke up covered in sweat from the nightmare, why did it have to seem so real? He knew it was a nightmare but, the sight of the Normandy's ceiling was still a comforting one. The feeling of Kal's bare, soft, purple, Quarian, arm laying across his chest quickly registered and Jack was relieved to see he hadn't woken his husband up. When Kal started sleeping with him again, the nightmares had seemingly disappeared. After the battle with Sovereign on the Citadel though, chunks of the dreams returned here and there apparently determined to make sure he didn't get any sleep. Luckily, they hadn't been on an actual mission for a month but, everyone needed a good nights sleep.

The Normandy had been playing catch up to one of the most annoying chases in the galaxy. Tali was hunting Legion on planet after planet and yet she didn't seem to be getting anywhere from Jack's perspective. For the only known talking Geth in the entire galaxy, Legion was an expert at keeping a low profile and staying just out of reach from all of them. What made matters worse was the fact that Tali wasn't accepting any of their attempts to contact her, she seemed to think he wanted Legion permanently. In reality, all Jack needed was for Legion to testify to the Council that the Reapers exist and were still a threat. After that he was more than happy to let Tali take him for study, she should know better than most that he wanted what was best for the Quarian's. She apparently didn't think he was being genuine and thus continued the hunt on her own.

A groan from Kal made him turn his head, "Mhng... What time is it...?"

Jack leaned into their naked cuddle, "Late, just go back to sleep sweetheart."

Kal opened his glowing eyes, looking him over with suspicion, "You look pale, did you have a nightmare again or does your head just hurt?"

Jack frowned wishing his husband hadn't woken up, "Nightmare from my first assignment, I got to meet a Thresher Maw for the first time."

Kal kissed his cheek lovingly while petting his arm, "Wanna get up then? I can make breakfast early, I'm sure Ashley would appreciate waking up to food for once."

Jack shook his head and gave Kal a soft kiss on the lips, "I can make breakfast for myself, thank you very much. Just go back to sleep, we're still in FTL to the Amada System for a few hours."

Kal started snuggling back into him to go back to sleep when they both heard a bang. At first, Jack thought he was dreaming some more but, when Kal jumped out of bed for his suit, Jack did the same for his armor. A moment later the lights switched on flashing red over and over again with an alarm sound quickly following suit. The Normandy had been hit, it was something Jack had never anticipated. Their stealth systems had protected them many times over during the hunt for Sovereign. What was seeing them now when even Sovereign couldn't?

He scrambled for his omni tool after another boom, "Joker? What the hell is happening out there?"

His concern only grew when the normally calm Joker sounded like he was going to have a stroke, "I don't know Commander, something unknown is hitting us! Shit, I need power to long range communications back up now!"

Jack put his helmet on just incase the worst happened, "On it, just hang tight Joker." He looked over to Kal, "Make sure everyone gets to the escape pods. I'll meet you at the last one with Joker."

The Quarian knew now wasn't the time to argue and so they both quickly separated. Jack knew this was bad the moment he entered the small mess hall, fires were spreading and members of his support crew were dead on the ground. He flew into action, sprinting to a power management system to get comms up, they needed help now. Since the shields were already down and burned to a crisp, Jack sent any remaining power from shields to the comms. When that didn't work, Jack cut power from the alarm systems, everyone knew what was going on by now. A green flash made him grin, they weren't dead yet.

He commed Joker, "The systems up, call in anyone you can, try and shield the escape pod paths while your at it."

Joker sounded upset, "What about the Normandy?! I can still sa-"

The intercomm went out, "Joker? Joker?! Shit..."

Kal was suddenly right behind him, "Ashley got everyone she could. Is the Alliance going to answer our distress call?"

Jack knew how loaded of a question that was right now. Before the attack on the Citadel, Jack would've answered yes immediately but, things had changed. Now that Sovereign was destroyed and Jack's 'problematic' relationship with Kal had been revealed, the Alliance was happy he had disappeared to the fringes of Citadel Space. It was easier than dealing with public controversy around the revelation. He hoped they wouldn't be petty enough to ignore a distress call but, if it was up to Udina, the answer was petty.

He didn't want Kal to worry though, "They will, now come on, Joker needs us to drag him out of here."

Running up to the CIC and cockpit made Jack's stomach twist in knots. The ceiling was ripped off of the ship and replaced with a flickering shield, it was probably the only thing keeping the ship together right now. He turned on his armor's emergency oxygen tank and was relieved to see he had around three hours, plenty of time. Kal had to do the same and they made the slow, zero gravity approach to Joker. Along the way, they had to pass by bodies of crew members floating around them. Joker was still in the cockpit with a mask on desperately tapping away at the ships controls. It was definitely an good effort but, anyone else would be able to see the ship was lost.

They both grabbed an arm and started carrying him to the escape pod, "Ow, I'm a cripple here you know! Watch the arm!"

Kal pushed Joker inside and climbed in the pod, "You'll live... Jack... the internal controls are dead..."

His heart stopped in it's tracks, the quick translation? Someone was going to have to stay behind and make sure the pod actually launched. A selfish part of him wanted Joker to do it so he and Kal could stay together. He knew the Alliance pilot would do it in a heartbeat but, that was wrong. Kal was reading his mind and quickly tried to leap out of the pod to swap places. Knowing he had way more oxygen then Kal, Jack could last longer in space then he could. With that in mind, Jack closed the escape pod door from the other side.

Kal's muffled voice shouted through the window, "Don't you dare do this! You bosh'tet! Open the God damned door now!"

Jack took a deep breath, "Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum ner cyar'ika. I love you Kal'Shepard Vas Normandy..."

He shot the pod out before he heard anymore yelling from Kal's part. Jack held back tears watching the escape pod shoot off to safety. If someone didn't come rescue him within the next three hours, that was the last thing he was going to say to Kal. He wondered if Arnold had felt this same level of peace when he killed the Thresher Maw on Akuze. Regardless, Jack jumped out the escape pod tube and closed his eyes. He would be safer out in space right now waiting for rescue than on the exploding ship.


	2. Chapter 1: ...Into the Fire

Jack's memory was a little bit blurry after that moment. He remembered watching the Normandy being torn apart by one last beam of yellow light coming from somewhere unknown in the distance and being blasted away. His first thought was that he had died but, he kept floating. A ship, no a Kodiak shuttle had rescued him, pulling him inside with biotics. Jack was relieved to know that he was wrong about the Alliance and they had come to save him, however, he was wrong about that last part. The last thing he remembered was getting kicked in the head from behind, the hit had knocked him out cold. It was all just one big blur after that moment, the only thing he was able to gather was that whoever had grabbed him, didn't intend on letting him go.

Some time later...:

________o0o0o0o0o_______

A muffled voice made Jack start to open his eyes, "Miranda, he isn't here, Feron's intel must've been wrong."

Jack quickly realized he was in some kind of stasis pod that had been drained of it's power. His immediate question was how long could he have been trapped sleeping? Pods like this one could keep a subject frozen and asleep for hundreds of years if the power was managed well. However, Feron and Miranda were both names he recognized working for the pro Human terrorist organization known only as Cerberus. If people were still talking about them, it at least meant he was in the same lifetime. He considered trying to stay silent until they passed but, Jack had no idea how to get out of this thing on his own. The idea of dying trapped in a container wasn't what Jack had in mind so he started banging a fist against the pod.

Miranda's frustrated tone echoed in his ear, "He had no reason to lie and hasn't led us into any... Wait do you hear that? He's in the walls." Her voice got closer and louder, "Commander Shepard, we're going to get you out of there, just hang on."

The sound of gunfire made him tense when the other voice said, "About twenty more LOKI mechs coming our way. Whatever your gonna do, make it fast."

He felt a little dizzy as the pod was yanked from wherever it was positioned, sending him banging around the inside somewhat. Apparently the designer of these devices didn't believe in seat belts for safety. The door above him opened to a hail of more gunfire and Miranda's face. He would recognize the pale spotless skin, ocean blue eyes, and shoulder length black hair instantly from Eden Prime. She had pretended to be an innocent employee of the ExoGeni mining corporation there only to kill a member of his ground team. And that was before she kidnapped an Alliance Admiral, attacked the military prison on Luna, just to steal an AI the Alliance had illegally been developing there. He threw a punch at her immediately.

Miranda took the punch with a groan while ducking from gunfire, "I realize you have questions Commander but, right now we need to get out of here. I can explain everything when we're clear." She surprisingly handed him an extra M-9 Predator pistol, "I trust you can give me that? You killing me will solve nothing, do you understand?"

Jack wanted to shoot her for all the crimes against the Alliance he knew she committed, unfortunately though, she was right. He had no idea where he was or how to safely get out of here. If he killed her now all he would be doing was shooting himself in the foot. As soon as he grabbed the gun, Jack saw what he could only assume was a LOKI mech behind her. It was thin and around 5'0" tall covered in a white durasteel typically used for ship armor. He would've just thought it was a Geth Trooper if it wasn't for the black and red optical sensor. Without much thought, Jack fired past Miranda's head at the mech potentially saving her life.

He started to sit up looking at her, "I understand that I have no other options right now but, don't think for a second that means I'm joining Cerberus anytime soon."

Miranda gave him a cool smile but, offered her hand to help him out of the pod, "Let's talk about it first before you make a rash decision.." She looked behind him as she helped pull him out, "Wilson come on, we're leaving."

Jack started walking to a nearby door when they heard a gun's safety click, "I'm sorry Miranda, I can't let either of you leave this room. If you want to live, I suggest putting Shepard back in the pod."

She slowed to a stop with a sigh, "No wonder you didn't want me to find him here. How much has she paid you to do this? One hundred thousand credits? Two?"

Jack slowly turned around to see a balding terrified looking man holding them up with a gun, "I wouldn't take credits for this, what she's doing is something I believe in."

Miranda started walking towards Wilson slowly, "Really? Using Rachni on children is something you believe in? Kidnapping our first Human SPECTRE without permission is something you believe in? Lying to The Illu-"

Jack was going to stay out of this knowing that Wilson had his gun trained on him. If their encounter on Eden Prime had taught him anything, it was that Miranda was willing to kill anyone who got in her way. On Luna she had also betrayed one of her own just to ensure she escaped with the AI. Still, the way they were talking indicated Wilson was part of Cerberus in some capacity with her. Would she really kill one of her own if they didn't play ball? And if she actually did, what did that say about his own chances for making it out of here in one piece? Another advantage of just watching this play out was that he could maybe get a little context to what the hell was going on here.

Wilson started shouting and fired a warning shot between them, "It's all done for the sake of Humanity! She has the guts to do what you, and that man in his Ivory castle don't have the stomach for! The hard choices that actually make a difference to all of us!"

Miranda smiled for a brief moment, "I'm sorry you feel that way Wilson, and Cerberus thanks you for your wonderful service over the years." She suddenly used her biotics behind her back to knock him off his feet and shoot him in the head, "Come on Shepard, we need to get out of here."

Jack didn't move grabbing his pistol tighter, "I'm sorry, if you do that to your own people, why on Earth should I trust you to lead me to safety?"

Miranda sounded irritated and exhausted, "Did that look like one of my people to you? For God's sake Shepard, he wanted to put you back in the pod for the next six hundred years as a punishment. You can either come with me or try and find your own way out of here. I don't have time to argue."

He was about to start shooting at her when a synthetic voice chimed in on the intercom, "Alert, alert, self destruct sequence authorized by Operative CH. All personnel should move immediately to escape pods."

That alarm changed his plans dramatically, she wasn't someone worth dying for just to stop, not yet anyways. He could waste time fighting her, and then maybe have enough time to find a ship but, Jack still wouldn't have any of his questions answered. Chief among them was the fate of Kal and the rest of the Normandy crew. Did the Alliance ever answer any distress call, or had the Cerberus shuttle been the only ship to enter the Amada System? What had attacked them in the first place? He was afraid Kal and the others could be still stranded for however long he had been sleeping. Also, having absolutely no information about where he was, and knowing Cerberus bases had a tendency to be maze like, Jack decided to follow her.

She ran out of the room and tapped her omni tool, "That son of a bitch! Jacob, is the shuttle ready to launch?"

Jacob, now that was a name that gave Jack several conflicting emotions; hate, pity, shame, guilt, and disgust. Jacob Taylor used to be part of the Alliance's Corsairs program until he was captured by Batarian's during the Skillyian Blitz. When Jack attacked the Batarian stronghold on Torfan to save Kal, Jacob was burned and his father was killed because of Jack's actions. As revenge, Jacob infiltrated the Normandy as Adam White and almost killed Kal on Virmire. He wondered if Jacob knew Miranda came here to rescue him, or had she lied to get her way? Either way, this was going to be an interesting conversation, if Jack could resist the urge to hit him that is.

Jacob's voice came through her omni tool sounding preoccupied, "Just a few mechs keeping me busy, I'll be ready to go when you get here."

She looked back at Jack while running, "No time to waste Commander, it's still a ways away."

As they ran through the white corridors of what Jack could only assume was a space station, he started to wonder why he was placed here. Most research labs usually focused on a singular topic so, he would've thought that this base would research cryogenic stasis. However, looking into windows to the rooms they passed by, all Jack could see was robotic machinery. Specifically, each room they passed seemed to be dedicated to making a part of the LOKI mech function. What could a terrorist group focused on Humanity need glorified security drones for? The more he was awake and starting to see where he was sleeping, Jack just had more questions.

Miranda fired at two LOKI's from behind and they sprinted past the door they had been approaching. Beyond was a large hangar Jack would've associated with deep space industrial work more than a high tech lab. In the center of the hangar was a single Kodiak shuttle with the white, black, and yellow colors that were now Cerberus'. Unfortunately, to get to the shuttle, they were going to have to break through a large clump of LOKI's marching towards it. Jack reached a hand out to send a biotic warp in their direction only to grab at his temple from a spike of pain. In the chaos of what to him felt like twenty four hours, Jack had forgotten his L3 biotic implant was gone.

The sudden pain dropped him to his knees and Miranda had to drag him to cover behind a crate, "Damnit, Jacob I need you over here now! The Commander is down." She snapped a finger by Jack's ear, "Shepard I need your help here, just point and shoot."

Jack nodded gritting his teeth and started shooting through the pain. He was seeing double so, several of his shots missed at embarrassing angles but overall, Jack was able to kill several LOKI's before Jacob's Kodiak arrived. Miranda lifted him up, getting under his free arm, and they stumbled towards the Kodiak barely getting inside. So much for attacking Jacob because of what he did to Kal, Jack was hurting from the eezo freely running around in his head. The first thing he was going to do after getting back to civilization was seeing if he was eligible for a replacement implant yet. The shuttle sped out of the hanger at the nick of time to avoid the self destruction.

Miranda grabbed something from the first aid kit and stabbed him with it, "I just gave you some pain medication, after a few hours of sleep, we'll be ready to talk."

Jack wanted to talk right now but, sleep already sounded wonderful. The drugs were making him forget the need to find Kal and instead just sleep. His head felt like it was going to split open otherwise. He just had to hope she wasn't going to keep him asleep for a long time.


	3. Chapter 2: Charm Offensive

Jack awoke after what he felt like was a short time later, laying in a new bed. Unlike Alliance beds which were hard and stiff to lower the financial cost of bedding thousands of people per ship, this bed was soft allowing him to sink in. Cerberus certainly seemed to have endless amounts of credits for all of the things they did he was aware of, where did they get it all? Jack looked around the room trying to see a time or date somewhere on the walls to get his barrings but, the walls were utterly bare. While he was still unsure how long he had been trapped in the cryo pod, he was comforted with the fact that Miranda didn't look that much older. It meant that most likely Kal and the rest of the Normandy's crew were alive somewhere, he just had to find them.

With that in mind, Jack started to get out of the bed only to realize he wasn't wearing any clothes. Where had they taken his armor and why did they take it? From their brief conversation, Miranda had implied Cerberus didn't see him as a threat but, as a potential ally. Had that assessment changed or were they just more comfortable if he couldn't defend himself? Either way, Jack felt exposed, needing to be more careful. On the floor at the foot of his bed was a fresh set of Cerberus casual clothes and a note. He didn't bother reading it feeling an urgency to get moving for Kal's sake. He couldn't imagine how Kal was thinking he had died to save him. Once the clothes were on, Jack opened the door, looking for Miranda.

Jack realized he was on yet another space station from the windows in the hallway he was walking through looking out into space. How many space stations did Cerberus have just laying around? It wasn't like construction for these types of facilities was cheap or fast. Part of the reason the Citadel and Arcturus Station were so special was because they were pretty much the only ones of their kind. Cerberus must've been around since shortly after the First Contact War gathering resources for these stations. That was the only explanation Jack could come up with that made even a little sense. He wondered if the Alliance was truly aware how powerful this group seemed to be.

A second door opened revealing a nearly empty mess hall. If he wanted to Jack could probably try and run and maybe even make it to a shuttle. The problem was he still knew nothing about what was going on so running right now seemed pointless. Jack needed to stay a little longer to figure out what happened and why Cerberus had saved him from themselves. Why was it important for Miranda to find and rescue him when another Cerberus operative already had him? Couldn't they have just talked to each other and exchanged him without a gunfight? While he didn't see Miranda anywhere in sight, Jacob was sitting alone at a table with an extra tray of breakfast food seemingly waiting for him.

Jacob stood with a hand out stretched, "Commander, I think it's time we were more officially introduced. My names actually Jacob Taylor, I'm looking forward to working with you."

Jack resisted the urge to punch him and instead gave a cold laugh, "Is this really how Cerberus is planning to recruit me? Have a nice song and dance pretending nothing ever happened between us?"

Jacob lowered his arm taking a more professional posture, "I'm sorry about what happened on Virmire, I...let my personal feelings get in the way of the job. With respect, I hate your guts Shepard but, I'm going to look past that for the galaxies sake. What do you wanna know first?"

Jack sat down taking some of the food feeling hungry, still frustrated with his current situation, "How long have I been out?"

Jacob sat across from him acting as though they had worked together for years, "Just now? Only a few hours so we could remove all the eezo out of you-"

Jack spat some of the water he had been drinking back out, "Wait you did what to me? Your saying my eezo is just gone?"

Jacob had a cautious tone like he was dealing with a dangerous animal, "To be frank Commander, we need you at top fighting condition as soon as possible. Rather than waste time getting you adjusted to a new L3 implant, we just decided to remove the eezo entirely. The good news is you won't experience any crippling side effects, no more headaches or nausea. The bad news is you've lost your biotic abilities."

That was going to take some getting used to. Jack had used biotics since he was a small boy and trained years to incorporate them into combat. Biotics had saved his life on many occasions and Jack had grown dependent on them. He was grateful that the side effects were gone but, he wondered why they had so much urgency? Had the Reapers found another way to return and Cerberus needed his help to stop them? It was the only possibility that made sense, Jack just didn't know how he could help. He only led the charge to stop Sovereign because he had seen the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. Surely the Council would've realized he was right after analyzing Sovereign's debris.

Jack took a deep breath trying to take that in, "Ok, how long was I out before then?"

Jacob nibbled on some bacon looking uncomfortable, "Two years, give or take a few days. From what we can tell, some sort of Reaper ship attacked the Normandy and a rogue Cerberus cell retrieved you alive. However, the Alliance officially declared you killed in action. The whole galaxy thinks you're dead. The rogue cell kept you in that pod for personal reasons.."

Jack felt like he was going to have a heart attack, two long years. That was two years Kal would've had to live with himself thinking he was dead, and that was the best case scenario. At worst, no other ship responded to the distress call and the Normandy's crew died on some isolated planet in the middle of nowhere. Then, Jacob tells him he was frozen that long because of a personal reason? It made him angry and upset, furious even, but he couldn't show it. If Cerberus knew Jack still cared about Kal they could use it against them. He could just say they broke up shortly after the Citadel if anyone asked.

He raised an eyebrow, "Personal reasons? Your going to have to do better than that Jacob. I deserve to know why I was frozen alive for two years! Do you know if my crew survived the attack?"

Jacob fiddled with his fork, "I don't deal in office gossip but, you pissed the wrong person off and they took out some revenge. They wanted you to feel what they felt like. I shouldn't say more without The Illusive Man's permission... As for the crew, a couple more support people died but Ashley, Garrus, and yes Kal made it out alive. Kal was...doing... ok last we met."

Jack had a hundred more questions when Miranda entered the room, "I'm sorry to keep you waiting Shepard. I can lead you to a ship momentarily when you want to leave but, my boss would like to have a word."

He stood up looking at her, "You mean The Illusive Man? I look forward to meeting the man that was so inept as to kidnap me and lose me on the same day."

She gave Jacob a cold but knowing look, "Ah Jacob, I knew you would say too much, we'll talk about this later." Miranda started walking the way she had come, "The Illusive Man is waiting Shepard, I'm sure he can answer more of your questions than Jacob."

Jack followed her getting more and more irritated, "I'd like some answers now if you don't mind. How the hell does Cerberus operate if a 'rogue cell' can kidnap me without the rest of you knowing exactly where I was?"

Miranda gave what seemed like a prepared answer, "Cerberus is organized into task-oriented cells. Each operates in isolation, members from one cell cannot recognize the members of another. Each cell's agents are led by a single cell and there are never more than a dozen cells at a time. The Illusive Man likes to maintain personal oversight. Too many projects strain his ability to multi-task."

Jack chuckled at the last part, "That's obviously a given, maybe you all should go down to single digits to make it more manageable for him."

Miranda smirked looking pleased with herself, "You were captured because The Illusive Man had a soft spot for a particular project lead, something I was able to correct. Currently, Cerberus consists of approximately 150 agents and operators organized into three cells."

Jack took a defensive tone, "So, I'm supposed to think your one of the good ones? You already blew that chance when you killed Jenkins."

She sighed, "If it makes you feel any better, before Eden Prime I pushed Cerberus to encourage the Alliance to co-develop the Normandy. This allowed humans to observe turian technologies and warship design practices. Otherwise, I think your other concerns should be addressed with The Illusive Man himself." Miranda gestured towards a door infront of them, motioning for him to go inside, "I'll be waiting for you when your done."

Jack entered expecting to see a small conference room and this Illusive Man but instead, the room was empty. He looked at Miranda confused until she pointed to a comm's device situated on the floor in the middle of the room. He remembered hearing about these being in development before the Normandy was destroyed. The creators claimed that once you stepped onto the circular, black, portable pad, a digital representation of yourself could be teleported anywhere in the galaxy. Jack had doubted the visual presentation wasn't as life like as the developers had so boldly claimed back then, guess it was time to test that theory.

Once he stepped on the device, a network of orange lights rose up around the circular edges, scanning him. After that the lights faded and the walls changed with holographic images of a new location. The trick worked for the most part, he felt like he had changed locations if he didn't look to hard. He was standing in the middle of another space station if the giant star out the window was real. The red, orange, and blue solar flares zipping around the sun were beautiful to look at if the other man wasn't in the room. The Illusive Man, was probably as old as his mother would've been if she was still around, he was seemingly trying to hide his age by dying parts of his hair brown. Jack could tell he was older than he was trying to appear from his eyes, they weren't natural with blue code scrolling across the pupils. He was sitting in a chair wearing a very expensive looking gray business suit and was holding a lit cigarette between two of his boney fingers.

Jack folded his arms, "You must be The Illusive Man, a word of advice? Next time you want to speak with someone you probably shouldn't send people that have tried to kill me to come get me."

He put the cigarette to his lips illuminating a smile on the face that was otherwise in shadow, "Commander Shepard, you remind me of your mother. Good to see your memory's still intact. How are you feeling?"

Jack laughed feeling very amused by that, "Your not exactly my best friend so why should I tell you? It's not like Cerberus has been friendly to me."

The Illusive Man grabbed a glass of what looked like scotch from an arm on his chair, "Cerberus isn't as evil as you seem to believe. If I can help get rid of any of your concerns, I'd be happy to do so."

Jack shook his head, "You've kidnapped me twice in the past two years, I don't think anything you say can take that back. And that's even before I bring up Luna or Noveria, all you want is chaos."

He had a scolding tone now, "You know very little about me, Shepard. Don't presume to understand my intentions from your narrow gaze."

Jack countered still not convinced, "Then explain the kidnapping, Miranda and Jacob have been very cagey on the subject."

He took another sip of the drink, "It's a sensitive matter that's been taken care of. Cerberus is ultimately about Humanity and sometimes that Human aspect can cloud my judgement. My people are valuable to me but, rest assured, the rogue element has been taken care of. Miranda has inherited her projects."

Realizing he wasn't going to get anything else, Jack nodded reluctantly, "Alright then, why am I here talking to you now? What's going on?"

The Illusive Man leaned forward in his chair, "We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but Humanity is under attack. While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies. We believe it's someone working for the Reapers, like Saren and the Geth... No one's paying attention because it's random and the attacks occur in remote locations."

Jack raised an eyebrow feeling somewhat skeptical, "And a Human terrorist organization is suddenly interested in the Reapers because...?"

He put out the cigarette after taking another puff, "The Salarians have the Special Tasks Group. The Asari have their legendary commandos for stealth and recon operations. Cerberus is Humanity's answer to those organizations. For the defense and preservation of Humanity, but we're going up against the greatest threat of our brief existence. That our place in the universe is more fragile than we'd like to think because of the Reapers. Ever since you sounded the alarm, we were interested. Why wouldn't we be?"

Jack paused still feeling a little uneasy, "I'm still not sure why you needed me? I only saw the beacon on Eden Prime, I'm not special."

He stood up walking towards what had to be the camera, "I wanted you because I believe that one man, one very specific man, might be all that stands between us and the extinction of our species. You've seen it yourself. You bested all of them. That's just one reason we chose you. You also stood for Humanity at a key moment, despite your relationships... You're more than a soldier, your a symbol. And I don't know if the Reapers understand fear, but you helped kill one, they have to respect that."

Jack started to pace around the circle, "You could contact the Alliance with whatever evidence you have. It might even give Cerberus a better PR image. So, you must have a reason to hide this."

He shook his head, "The Alliance is too overwhelmed by the responsibility you gave them. They're too busy building relations to put resources into verifying the Reaper threat. Blaming the abductions on mercs and pirates is easier, and more convenient."

Jack bit his lower lip, that definitely sounded like Udina, especially if he was promoted to be part of the Council, "How do we know that the Reapers are behind these abductions? They want to kill and harvest all life, not just take people one by one."

He looked a little smug into the camera now, "Hundreds of thousands of colonists have vanished. I'd say that fits the definition of 'harvesting.'"

Jack frowned, "It still doesn't make any sense, the Reapers want to kill everything, not just us."

He shrugged obviously not having all the answers, "I don't know why they've suddenly targeted humanity. Maybe you got their attention when you helped killed one of them.

While he really didn't like any of this, Jack needed to know for himself what was going on. This was a serious moment no matter the root cause of the disappearances. The best case scenario was that Aria wanted another, larger Skillyian Blitz, and was taking as many Humans as possible to do it. The scarier option was that Cerberus was right and the Reapers were taking a stealthy approach after the battle for the Citadel. He wanted to contact Kal so badly and tell him he was alright but, he needed to be done with this business first. If The Illusive Man was right, Jack was going to have to warn as many people as possible about the threat.

Jack put on a determined expression, "I'm sure you didn't bring me here just to talk about theory, what do you want me to do?"

The Illusivd Man returned to his seat, "I'm glad you asked. I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted. Find any clues you can. Who's abducting the colonies? Do they have any connection to the Reapers?"

Jack was still hesitant about this, "If I say no I'm guessing you'd just order someone to take me there anyways?"

He actually chuckled from that, "You always have a choice, Shepard. If you don't find the evidence we're both looking for, we can part ways. I'd be disappointed if you accepted any of this without seeing for yourself. Miranda and Jacob will take you there."

Jack tensed slightly, "No offense but, I haven't had the best track record with any of your people. I'd rather go alone."

He finished off his scotch with a content sigh, "Wilson was one of my best agents but I will admit he was a traitor. Miranda did exactly what I expected of her, and she saved your life. Jacob's a soldier, one of the best. He's never fully trusted me, or you for that matter, but at least he's always been honest about it. You'll be just fine with them... for now."

Jack gritted his teeth, "Alright then, I'll see you if I get something." The room suddenly returned to normal and he wasn't surprised to see Miranda standing at the door, "What do you know about the colony we're going to?"

She gave an almost innocent looking smile, "Freedom's Progress? It's a typical human settlement in the Terminus Systems. They had a small military force for protection supplemented by mechs and security drones. Average in almost every way, really. Completely unremarkable... until the disappearance."

Jack let that sink in, so much for Aria, she was all about theatrics, "What do you think we'll find there?"

She shrugged starting to walk the way they came, "Honestly? More of the same, a lot of empty buildings and one giant mystery."

Jack looked closely at her, "Can I trust I won't be another Wilson when we get there?"

Miranda scoffed at the question, "I know who I report to, as long as you don't do anything to betray Cerberus, I'll follow your orders. I believe in what Cerberus stands for. Only time will tell if you prove to be an asset or a liability to our cause." She led him to an armory room, "The rest of us are ready to leave, Shepard. We're just waiting for you to get ready and on to the shuttle."

He moved quickly to get a new set of armor on. The quicker they could get through this, the quicker he could get back to Kal.


	4. Chapter 3: Freedom's Progress

Jack hated the new set of armor Cerberus had provided him for the mission. It was heavier than he was used to making it less maneuverable, and was painted with the traditional black, white, and yellow, Cerberus colors. He assumed the heavier palladium material used for the armor was there to compensate for the fact that he could no longer create a biotic shield but, Jack still wished it was more light weight. The colors didn't bother him as much since they were going to an abandoned colony supposedly however, he wouldn't want to wear these forever. They may be fighting on the same side right now but, knowing Cerberus, one wrong move could make them bitter enemies once again. He wasn't going to become a terrorist like them to stop the Reapers.

Apparently, the space station he had been on was close to Freedom's Progress because they were taking the same Kodak shuttle to get there. Already it was feeling like an uncomfortable ride with both of his new 'team mates' sitting across from him silently. Jack was still tempted to ask Jacob where he had seen Kal and how recent the meeting had been but, it was ultimately a bad idea. If the Reapers were indeed kidnapping hundreds of thousands of people, Jack needed to focus on that. No matter how much it hurt, Kal was safer doing whatever he was doing then joining him in the Cerberus lion's den. When this was over, he would find Kal again as soon as possible.

Jacob shifted in his seat while looking at his omni tool, "We're about to hit Freedom's Progress Commander, any special orders when we hit the ground?"

Jack could feel they were entering the atmosphere from the way the Kodiak shook so he spoke louder, "Our first priority should be survivors, they'd be able to tell us what happened better than any clues left behind."

Miranda sounded a little irritated now, "There weren't any survivors at the other colonies hit but, then again we'll be the first ones investigating this time. We'll follow your lead, just don't get your hopes up Shepard."

The ship landed and already Jack hated the silence after their arrival. Jack stepped out of the shuttle and saw empty buildings covered in snow staring blankly back at him. Judging by the colorful lights strung along the sides of the buildings, Jack could only assume the people here celebrated the ancient Human holiday of Christmas. If that was the case, children should've been running around the streets playing with their new toys but, it was all just quiet. The silence reminded him a little too much of Akuze but luckily, the buildings around them all looked completely unharmed, a Thresher Maw didn't do this. A building two houses down from them still had the lights on inside so, Jack motioned for the others to follow him towards it.

Along the way there, Jack couldn't help but feel uneasy from the lack of any signs of a struggle. You would think if the Reapers were responsible for this there would be signs of battle somewhere, Sovereign hadn't exactly been subtle in his attacks. Here though there weren't any bullet markings on the walls or blood splattered in the street, it was just empty. It was as if every person living here decided at the same time to just leave and not tell anyone where they planned on going. It was a similar story inside the house except Jack could see Christmas presents that were half open laying under the tree. So much for his, 'they all left of their free will' theory.

Jacob walked by him towards the kitchen, "These people were still having dinner, look it's half eaten.."

Jack started walking into one of the bedrooms with a pistol in his right hand, "I'm guessing Cerberus already tried scanning other colonies to see if this was a gas attack?"

Jacob followed him while Miranda was looking around the outside of the house, "Yeah, it was one of the first things we thought of. Unless the Reapers have some sort of untraceable gas, which they still might, this is something else."

They both heard Miranda's voice outside, "Immediate shut down code: 01421 friendly."

Jack moved towards the noise and saw a LOKI mech approaching her, what were they doing here? Was this a Cerberus specific colony and Miranda just neglected to mention it? Or, were LOKI mechs sold as security drones so Cerberus could make a few extra credits? The second possibility worried him a little, Cerberus could potentially have an army of these things everywhere. What would stop The Illusive Man from having these things turn on their owners for Cerberus' benefit? He didn't doubt the man would do something like that if it helped Humanity. Hopefully, the Alliance wouldn't be dumb enough to use these things for extra security.

This particular LOKI mech kept walking towards her, "Unauthorized personnel, leave this location or you will be shot."

When it was clear that the mech wasn't going to stop, Jack shot it with his new pistol, the force of the shot knocking it's head clean off. "I thought those were just a Cerberus thing?"

She shook her head frowning, "No, we designed the patent but, the Sirta Foundation manufacturers them. Obviously, we don't have as much control as I'd like.."

Jack took a sarcastic tone, "Or maybe The Illusive Man didn't give you the keys to control them all..."

She glared but didn't say anything, Jacob looked around for more of them, "You'd think they'd of fought whatever took the people living here. Why haven't we seen more scrap of them laying around?"

Miranda looked down at the snow on the ground in thought, "Your right, this one just responded from you two talking inside. These must've been activated after the Reapers came through. We aren't alone out here Shepard."

Jack saw a dozen more of them marching towards them, "We can talk about that later, right now we have more company!"

The three of them had to scatter for cover immediately when the LOKI's started opening fire on them. Jack took a second too long and was dinged in the elbow but, the armor was strong enough to make the hit painless. Maybe with his old gray Onyx armor paint job, this set of armor could be useful. The mechs were carrying light sub machine guns and firing rapidly to try and pin them behind cover. Now that he wasn't dealing with biotic side effects, Jack was able to bounce and weave between cover better and hit his targets square on. However, he found himself reaching a hand out to try and lift a LOKI occasionally out of instinct. Seeing him flick his wrist, Miranda did the honors for him and the three of them opened fire, killing the last one.

Miranda smiled at him confidently as if she was proud with herself, "You'll still need some practice getting used to it but, I think you'll be just a good a fighter without biotics. Now, like I was say-"

Jacob's eyes widened and he moved to tackle them both, "Get down!"

A sniper shot had gone off from the second floor from the building behind them. If Jacob hadn't of moved in when he had, they both would've been hit. They probably wouldn't have died because the second shot came so late, suggesting a lack of experience, but it was better to not take chances. Since he was so surprised from sniper fire coming at them, Jack had to assume that snipers weren't standard weapons for the LOKI's. That left two options; either the people of Freedom's Progress had modified their models or, Miranda was right and these were other people. The question then became whether or not they were friend or foe? He doubted the Reapers were still here but, anything was possible right now.

His confusion only grew when a Quarian voice yelled from the balcony behind them, "I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives! Leave now or I will kill you with my next shot!"

A very familiar Quarian voice made Jack relax and roll over to look up, "Prazza, put those weapons down! Shepard? Is that... you're alive?"

Standing next to a male Quarian was Tali, she may have looked a little different but he would recognize that voice anywhere. The accent reminded him of Kal since the two had grown up together on the Rayya. Maybe she would know something about where Kal was now? It was a pipe dream really since he was an exile and it looked like she was commanding a squad of Quarian marines but, he could still ask. He noticed that while her environmental suit was still purple and black, this new suit had some yellow highlights as well as a few sections of armor. She definitely seemed more confident with herself than two years ago. Tali had earned it though, she was just as responsible for Sovereign's defeat as he was.

Jack smirked up at her, "I know the lack of hair really changes how I look Tali but yeah, it's me."

She ran down the stairs and embraced him in a hug, "I'm so sorry about the Normandy, it's all my fault... If I would've just let you help me find Legion you wouldn't have been destroyed and..."

Jack squeezed his old friend in a gentle hug, "Hey, it's not your fault, if you would've been there you couldn't of changed anything. Did you find him though?"

She let go of the hug, "Yes I did...we're researching his consensus building now, it'll help. I'm still sorry I didn't trust you after everything you've done for me and Kal.... Is Kal ok?"

Jack gave her a comforting grin having no ill will towards her, "I was hoping you'd know....And maybe, i guess we'll never really know. I'm just glad Legion's helping your people one way or the other.."

Miranda whispered behind him, "That Geth could know something, we should try and set up a meeting."

Jacob whispered back quietly, "Yeah but maybe it'd be better to ask when we don't have a sniper ready to shoot us."

Jack was about to say something when Prazza's voice came down from the balcony, "If he's such a good friend to the Quarian people Tali, why is he working for Cerberus?"

Tali looked back in his direction, "I don't know, maybe we should ask instead of shoot, huh?"

Taking her advice Prazza asked, "How could you turn your back on the Council to work for these di'kuts?"

Jacob spoke up first, "You've got it backwards. The Council turned its back on him, so did the Alliance. Human colonies are disappearing, and nobody else is doing a damn thing about it!"

Jack added looking at Tali, "It's true Tali, you haven't wondered where all the people that lived here are? Cerberus thinks the Reapers are behind it and I need to know if it's true..."

Tali put a hand on the bottom of her helmet as if to think, "That would explain his breakdown... I need to think for a minute Jack."

Prazza put the laser sight from his sniper on Miranda, "Even so, that doesn't require YOU to be here. Shepard may be welcome but you are not!"

Miranda put a hand on her hip speaking with a defiant tone, "We're well within our rights to investigate attacks on a Human colony. I'd like to know what the Quarians are doing here?"

Tali had a distracted tone, "We're here looking for a young Quarian named Veetor, he was on his pilgrimage. Perhaps we can work together."

Jack was tense wondering how much control Tali had on Prazza but he smiled with a nod, "I'd like to help in any way I can Tali."

Miranda shook her head, "This isn't going to get us any answers, we need to find out what happened to those missing colonists."

Jack glared in her direction feeling irritated, "Veetor might be the only witness to what actually happened here. Your welcome to wait on the ship if you don't feel like you can follow my orders."

Prazza crossed his arms, "Your help won't be necessary and you'll pardon us for not taking you at your word Shepard. Tali, you aren't seriously considering trusting Cerberus are you?! After what they have done to us?"

Tali took a softer tone, "No Prazza, I'm trusting Shepard. And besides, we could use the help. If you don't like it you can go back to our ship."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Seems like you and Cerberus have had a history since I've been gone, anything I should know about?"

Tali looked back at him with a tired sigh, "It would take too long to explain Jack, and I'm afraid the longer we sit around talking, the more likely it is we start shooting each other. Maybe you should ask your people when this is over."

Jacob looked between them for a moment before saying, "With that settled, what can you tell us about Veetor? Why was he here for his pilgrimage?"

Tali rubbed the back of her neck, "Quarians can choose where they go on Pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement. He was always... nervous in crowds."

Prazza added, "She means that he was unstable. Combine that with damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers, and an infection from an open-air exposure, and he's likely delirious. When he saw us landing, he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved."

Jack paused to let that all sink in, "So we need to be gentle with the approach, what was your plan before we got here?"

Tali pulled up a map of the colony on her omni tool, "We were just going to go in with a frontal assault and hope for the best but, now that your here.. I think we could split into two teams and take the flanks of the warehouse. We won't have to worry about the mechs if we can shut them down from the inside on his omni tool."

Jack reviewed the map and pointed out a few holographic paths, "My team can take the smaller path here. I think this way we'll have a lot less casualties than hoping for the best attacking the warehouse."

Miranda chimed in, "Where did Prazza and his team go exactly...?"

The sound of gunfire was their answer and Jack started to move ahead, down the main street. They were going to have to save Prazza before things got really ugly.


	5. Chapter 4: A New Enemy

Jack ran around the next corner into the colony's main square only to find chaos. Prazza and the rest of the Quarian marines had crawled around the rooftops so that their sniper weapons would have an advantage against the LOKI's on the ground. However, the mechs could still get a few good angled shots on the Quarian's using a central water fountain for cover. This forced Prazza's team to retreat to an even higher scaffolding so that the LOKI's couldn't aim at them because of their restrictive arm joints. Jack, Jacob, and Miranda were going to sneak behind the engagement while Tali ran after Prazza from the rooftops.

He had to hand it to the Quarian, while he shouldn't of gone off on his own and stuck with the original plan, this was going surprisingly well. The LOKI's couldn't decide which group to focus on so they blindly started shooting in every direction they could. It was good practice for Jack, only occasionally having to duck behind cover, otherwise it was like his training days. He had always been a good shot at the shooting range but, two years frozen in cryo would make anyone a little rusty. These mechs certainly couldn't multitask as well as the Geth, probably because they were VI's instead of AI's. A programmer could only account for so many scenarios and apparently, an ambush wasn't one of them. A LOKI started running away from the battle forcing Jack to chase after it, turning his back on the Quarian's.

The mech ran down a side alley and Jack followed the best he could. With only one enemy to focus on though, The LOKI started firing back at him forcing Jack to scramble from cover to cover down the alley. Sure, his new armor could take a real beating but, with no helmet, one stray shot could kill him. The mech eventually ran into a dead end and like a chicken who lost it's head, the LOKI started running in circles unsure what to do with itself. Maybe he was wrong to fear these things if they ever got into the wrong hands control, right now they seemed incapable of performing their basic stated function, let alone a coup. Jack used his shotgun to tear the thing to pieces only to turn around and see Jacob and Miranda had followed him.

Jack looked at them, "You should've stayed in the courtyard with the Quarians. Not follow me back here, I think I can handle one LOKI."

Miranda had a short defensive tone, "Your our responsibility Shepard, not some Quarians who don't want us here and clearly have everything under control. We should be looking for Human evidence as to what happened here."

He was about to respond when Tali shouted into his omni tool, "Jack where are you?! Veetor reprogrammed a heavy mech, it's tearing Prazza's squad apart!"

Jack glared at Miranda but opened up the comm channel, "On our way back Tali, just hang on a little longer."

When they ran back to the main square, Jack saw the chaos had quickly turned into a blood bath. The problem was the 10' tall heavy mech which had a large machine gun attached to one hand and a rocket launcher attached to the other. It had thicker armor, probably similar to the stuff he was wearing, and a smaller optical sensor. It was most likely Cerberus' answer to the Geth Prime or a Krogan, and since neither of those were around to help, they were in trouble. The heavy mech had snuck up from the other direction of the Quarians and had knocked down the scaffolding they had been standing on sending them crashing to the ground. It's machine gun started spraying wildly into the debris hoping to kill any Quarian that had survived the fall.

Jack just started charging at the mech and shooting at it's back to get it's attention. The armor of the thing would certainly absorb his shotgun blasts but, Jack needed it to turn around and start fighting his team instead of the vulnerable Quarians. He slid into cover just short of the mech while it turned around and started shooting at him, chipping away at the metal railing he was hiding behind from the sheer amount of bullets coming at it. Jack tried getting directly underneath it so he could take a shot at the optical sensor, however, the shotgun blast just bounced off. Giving it a closer look, Jack saw the mech was somehow generating it's own biotic field around the sensor. How was anyone supposed to kill this thing?

Just as it's guns pointed down at him, ready to pull the trigger, Miranda grabbed him with her biotics and yanked him back to the cover she was hiding behind. Jack was about to say clumping together wasn't a good idea since that thing had a rocket launcher when sure enough, he heard the familiar thwump of a rocket leaving it's missle tube. However, instead of the rocket hitting them, he heard a large explosion where it had been. When the dust cleared, he saw Tali with her omni tool and realized she must've hacked the mech to shoot the rocket at itself. She then immediately ran to the scaffolding rubble to look for Quarian survivors.

He fished out all the medi-gel from his armor and ran towards her, "Tali, let me help you."

She shook her head sounding upset, "No, Quarian reinforcements will be here any minute and they won't play nice no matter what I say. This might be your only chance to go find Veetor and ask him what happened to your people. I'll keep them busy tending to the wounded for as long as I can, Jack. Go."

He nodded his head in thanks and left the medi-gel anyways. If he had just stayed in his position instead of chasing the LOKI, he could've warned Prazza and his team that the heavy mech was underneath them. Then again, if he had just let the mech go, it could've found a better position to shoot at them and killed someone. The real problem was Miranda and to a lesser extent Jacob had a beef with the Quarians strong enough to ignore common sense. He was going to have to tell The Illusive Man that his little darlings weren't completely following his orders as promised. Hopefully, they would be done with this arrangement before it became an even bigger problem. That's at least what Jack was hoping for as they entered the seemingly abandoned warehouse.

Miranda turned to him having a scolding tone, "I hope your prior relationships with the Quarians hasn't cost us the chance to find out what's going on here. Freedom's Progress was the type of opportunity that doesn't just crop up everyday."

He was about to snap on her when Jacob stepped in, "Easy Miranda, we still have a chance at finding out what's going on here. Veetor could be an eye witness to everything. Let's focus on finding him instead of yelling at each other right now."

A young Quarian voice could be heard in the shadows, "Monsters coming back, mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No-no-no-no-no."

Jack used the flashlight feature on his omni tool to look for Veetor while keeping a friendly tone, "Veetor? If that's you, you can come out now. Your safe now from the monsters."

Veetor's voice got louder, "No Veetor, he's not here! Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide. Swarms coming. Storm coming, storm of swarms. Mechs will protect. Have to hide. Have to hide."

The flashlight landed on a Quarian that couldn't be over fourteen curled up in a ball rocking back and forth, it was hard to not be heartbroken for him, "Veetor, my name is Jack Shepard, I'm a SPECTRE with the Citadel Council. I promise your safe now, you escaped. You can come out of there if you want."

Veetor kept rocking back and forth only showing one side of his body, "No escape, can't hide forever. Swarms will find you, monsters find you. No hope. No escape." He turned his helmet towards them, "Wait, your... not one of them. Your Human. They... they didn't find you?"

Miranda had a short business like tone, "Who didn't find us?"

Veetor's large, blue, child's visor looked up at her, "The... the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone."

Jack took a slow, careful, step closer, "We weren't here when it happened Veetor. Let me help you get out of there."

Veetor seemingly ignored him pulling up his omni tool, "Then you don't know, you didn't see. But I see everything."

A large image of the warehouse's window appeared on the wall causing Jacob to start pacing, "Looks like security footage. He must've pieced it together manually."

Jack couldn't help but agree as he watched with one eye and walked closer to Veetor. The images started bouncing around showing a stereotypical Christmas evening on Freedom's Progress. Children were running around with spaceships chasing each other around like they were in a battle. He could even see Veetor happily playing catch with a Human girl in one of the corners of the frame. Jack stopped his movement when the bottom of an angular looking insect crawled across the screen. His gut tensed when he saw it wasn't completely biological, with small purple metal tubes serving as legs and antenna. He was confident that was the same Reaper metal that had been attached to Sovereign and Saren.

Jacob blurted out, "What the hell was that?!"

Veetor spoke over the video as more and more insects started zipping into the frame, "The seeker swarms, no one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you."

He watched in pure horror as Veetor was right on the mark. The seekers, as he called them, started throwing themselves at any of the Humans around and stung them. It didn't matter if it was a small child or elderly man, every Human on the camera got stung. Once they were bit, an orange glowing energy field surrounded them and it was clear they couldn't move. Veetor was desperately pulling at the girls hand he had been playing with but she wouldn't budge, eventually making him fall over. He then ran, disappearing from the frame shortly before a new creature entered it. The thing had a brown carapace similar to the Turians but, the comparisons ended there. This creature had a flat, wide, head with four glowing yellow eyes. Each eye had two black pupils and it didn't appear to have a mouth.

The images made Jack's head spin and ache out of the blue. He remembered having a similar feeling on Therum when he needed to operate a Prothean console to rescue Liara. In that instance, Jack had been able to understand the Prothean language shortly after that experience. Was he going to learn something new this time? Suddenly, his vision went black in exchange for only seeing a large microchip. This was from the vision he saw on Eden Prime, why was he seeing this now? The microchip was getting covered in an orange goo Jack could only assume was Prothean blood. Then, an insect looking almost exactly identical to the one on the footage, except for the obvious Reaper additions, got stuck in the goo.

His vision returned quickly and Jack was back in the warehouse on Freedom's Progress. Even though they didn't know what those things were, Jack was unfortunately very certain they were connected to the Reapers. There just wasn't any other explanation as to why a portion of the vision from Eden Prime would replay in his mind like that. Had these things always been part of the Reaper's cycle of extinction and just now showed themselves? Maybe Sovereign was supposed to signal these things but because of the Citadel, that never happened? He wished Liara was here to help him make sense of all this. She could've maybe found a reference to these things in her Prothean research.

Apparently no time had passed because Veetor finished with, "Then the monsters take you away."

Miranda stared at the screen with her eyes wide and her mouth open, "My God, I think that's a Collector."

Jack rubbed his head as the pain slowly disappeared, "I've never heard of them before. Are they some kind of new advanced species?"

Jacob looked at him, "Sort of, nobody really knows much about them other than they came through the Omega-4 Mass Relay around the time you disappeared. People have never returned trying to go through it."

Jack frowned gritting his teeth for a moment out of fear, "Whatever they are, they have to be part of the Reapers plan. I just saw a piece of my Eden Prime vision again, those insects were there."

Miranda tapped her chin and he could almost see the wheels turning, "That doesn't surprise me, The Illusive Man is hardly ever wrong when he has a feeling about something. We'll need more evidence though before we can act. I just wonder how Veetor got away."

Veetor started shaking back and forth again, "Swarms didn't find me. Monsters didn't know I was here."

Miranda frowned obviously frustrated with the non answer, "The Collectors aren't known for being careless. Maybe his enviro-suit kept him from showing up on their sensors."

Jacob added with a shrug, "Or they were using technology specifically designed to detect Humans. Only Human colonies have been hit so far."

Veetor started repeating himself, "It's how they find you. Seeker clouds. Machines like tiny insects. They go everywhere. They find you. Then they sting you. Freeze you."

Miranda tapped a foot on the ground lost in thought, "Sounds like miniature probes, maybe. Find victims, then immobilize them with a stasis field or nerve toxin."

Veetor started getting louder, "The monsters took the people onto the ship, and then they left! The ship flew away, but they'll be back for me! No one escapes!"

Jacob frowned looking concerned for the boy, "I think that's probably all we're getting out of him, Commander."

Jack agreed and gently put a hand on his arm, "Thank you Veetor, you've been very helpful. I'm going to help you get home now ok? Other Quarians are going to take you home."

Veetor shook his head, "No, I can still help, I studied them. The monsters. The swarms. I recorded them with my omni tool, lots of readings. Electro-magnetic. Dark energy."

Jack saw it was true from his omni tool but, he also saw a wide gash of a suit puncture. No wonder he was in this state, not only did he have to deal with the emotional damage of watching all of his friends get taken away by those things in the past twenty four hours but, he must've had an infection too. Jack put his armored hand on as much of it as he could, he had a choice to make. Tali had said the Quarians arriving weren't going to mess around with anyone Cerberus related no matter what was said so, calling for them could get risky. However, if they just left Veetor here for the Quarians to eventually find, he would surely die from a medical infection.

The answer was an easy one for Jack as he used his omni tool, "Tali, get over here now, bring everyone, Veetor needs help!"

Miranda grabbed his arm turning off the omni tool, "What the hell are you doing Shepard? We need to get this data to The Illusive Man." She looked at Jacob, "Grab the Quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."

Jack would've punched her if his hands weren't busy containing the breach in the suit, "Absolutely not, Veetor is injured and just a child! He needs medical treatment from his own people, not an interrogation!"

She snapped back in anger, like she was talking to a child, "We won't hurt him! We just need to see if he knows anything else. He'll then be returned, unharmed."

Jacob just stared at her, "Miranda, The Illusive Man told us to follow Shepard's orders. We need to honor that."

She glared at him just as angry, "Do you honestly think the Quarians have enough responsibility to handle something this serious after their display outside?"

Jack was relieved when Tali's voice answered, "Prazza was an idiot, and he and his men paid for it. You're welcome to take whatever Veetor's omni-tool data is, but please. Just let me take him." She quickly replaced Jack's position, putting medi-gel on the gash.

Jack stood up, "Copying now, if you have a problem with this you can wait on the ship..." When Miranda actually left he said, "You know when this is over Tali, I could use your help, it is the Reapers."

Tali looked up at him sounding sad, "I want to Jack, but I can't. I've got a mission of my own, and it's too important for me to abandon, even for you. When it's over, and I'm still alive, we'll see what happens."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "What's the mission? Maybe I could help."

She looked over at Jacob, "I don't think Cerberus needs to hear about it, but it's in Geth space. That should tell you how important it is." Other Quarian voices could start to be heard at the entrance of the warehouse, making Tali whisper, "Go, I'll make something up. Good luck Jack."

He and Jacob slowly made there way back to the already running shuttle. They had a lead now, the Collectors.


	6. Chapter 5: Letting Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to http://mandoa.org/ for giving inspiration for the name of the first liveship!

The shuttle ride back to the Cerberus station seemed longer than the trip to Freedom's Progress by light years. It was clear from the awkward silence that Miranda wasn't used to taking orders, or being told no. On some level, he understood the out burst, having been no stranger to standing up to authority for something you believed in. When Admiral Kahoku had denied his request to go save Kal on Torfan, Jack had punched the man, so they weren't really all that different. However, the stakes seemed higher now that they knew that the Reapers were ultimately behind the abductions. He and Miranda couldn't keep having these kinds of spats if they were going to work together now.

Jack was still reeling with the question of what should he do but, he didn't see any good options. He could leave Cerberus and go back to the Alliance with information about the Collectors but, what would the Alliance really do? Since part of his evidence centered around the vision on Eden Prime once again, he would probably just be laughed out of the room. Despite having video evidence of the Collectors kidnapping people, he had no proof the Reapers were involved. They still might not even believe the Reapers exist period, let alone the fact that the Collectors were allied to them. In the time it would take to convince the Council and the Alliance of the true threat, millions of more Humans could be taken. With Cerberus, he just had to worry about being backstabbed eventually. For the sake of the galaxy, Jack knew the only way he could really help would be to work with Cerberus.

Once in the hangar, Miranda stormed off leaving Jack and Jacob alone. Even though she obviously wasn't happy with the decision to let Veetor go, Jack didn't think she would be this unprofessional about it hours after it was over. At first, Jack had thought Miranda's anger was because she feared his actions had endangered their chances of discovering the truth but, now it was becoming clear that this had been personal for her. Since this had been their first mission together, it couldn't realistically be about him directly. The only option he could think of was that Cerberus' conflict with the Quarians had personal stakes for Miranda herself. Maybe an ex lover?

Jacob patted him on the back, "Come on, let's get something to eat. I'm sure Miranda will forward the data no matter how pissed she is."

Jack raised an eyebrow looking at him, "I thought you hated me Jacob, not usually a good idea to have dinner with someone you hate..."

Jacob folded his arms, "Oh I hate your guts, your selfish, and I'm sure you hate mine too. The Collectors are the real problem though and Cerberus needs all the help it can get. We need to work together, trust each other. The way I see it, the best thing to do is to just pretend we don't have any baggage. Deal?"

That proposition was correct but at the same time, Jack didn't know if it was going to be that easy. They had both done horrible things to each other even though for Jack, it had been unintentional. Every time Jack looked at the burn scars on the side of Jacob's face he was reminded of his own failings on Torfan. Being part of the Alliance and an N7 had taught him that self sacrifice and control were supposed to be of the highest importance. Jack had ultimately lost his resolve and gotten his mother killed in the process. Jacob was asking him to do this so, Jack needed to try. It was the least he could do for the man he had given so much pain to.

Jack bowed his head and started following him, "So, when and how did you get involved with Cerberus?"

Jacob chuckled with a smile, "Already breaking our little deal I see. To be honest, a medical officer from Cerberus approached me during my burn recovery. They told me what you did and that the Alliance was either ignoring it or actively covering it up. I decided to join them on a temporary basis back then. Watching you deal with all the Council's red tape on the Normandy made me realize The Illusive Man was the only one actually willing to do something."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "What has he been doing exactly to stop the Reapers? From my perspective all Cerberus did was cause problems for me during the hunt for Saren."

Jacob scanned his keycard so they could go to the mess hall, "Obviously, some of it is way above my pay grade but I'll let you know what I can. Miranda stole the data on the beacon from Eden Prime and used the AI she stole on Luna to help translate it. Without Cerberus, you wouldn't have found the Mu Mass Relay or the Conduit."

Jack felt a skeptical even though that all made sense, "Your painting an awfully pretty picture of what your people have been up to. I seem to recall Cerberus murdering an Alliance Admiral, stealing our automated shipyard on Luna, and attempt to cure the Genophage during my mission."

Jacob shrugged putting a plate of food together at the buffet bar, "Like I said, some things are above my pay grade. All I know is that The Illusive Man acts in Humanities best interest, even if it's not always obvious. Or whether or not I personally agree with the decision."

Jack got a small plate for himself and decided to challenge him, "Yeah? What's something he has done that you weren't a fan of?"

Jacob sat down looking a little worried, "The war with the Quarians for starters. You remember the orphanage we were running on Noveria right? Where we were using ancient Rachni to try and enhance the kid's biotic abilities?" When Jack nodded taking a bite from his food he continued, "Well, it turns out one of the kids escaped from the orphanage during Benezia's assault and went to the Quarians for asylum. They accepted the offer taking the thirteen year old girl in as one of their own."

Jack held up a hand to stop him, "The Quarian flotila isn't exactly known for it's charity work, especially for other species. They also aren't interested in biotics at all because they don't have any. Why did they let her in?"

Jacob played with his fork, "Don't tell Miranda I told you this but, Oriana is special in a lot of ways. She has Autism which has allowed her to understand the Geth's native language. So, instead of just talking to Legion, we could communicate with the entire Geth consensus as a whole. The Quarians probably just want to use her for their own research. The Illusive Man saw value in her and so had Miranda led an attack on the Migrant Fleet. When it was clear we weren't going to be able to get her back, Miranda blew up one of the Quarian liveships."

His heart stopped with those last words as if Jacob had told him a friend died. The Darasuum Kyr'Vhetine, the Rayya, and the Shellen were the three Quarian liveships, or agricultural hubs, and combined they contributed to all of the Quarians food supplies. From what he remembered Kal saying, the ships were larger than the rest of the flotila and military ships clustered around them because of their importance. Now that one was gone, the Quarians had to be in truly dire straits, a third of the population wouldn't have any food. Hopefully, the Alliance would send aid because of Han'Gerrel's participation on Torfan but that could be a stretch. Like most people in Citadel Space, the Alliance brass liked to generalize the Quarians as poor thieves who deserved their fate. Jack was going to have to call Tali and make sure she was doing ok when he had some actual privacy.

Jack was even more doubtful about staying with Cerberus after getting that information. This terrorist group was willing to potentially cause the slow death of billions just because they wanted one girl with special talents. What other tragedies did The Illusive Man greenlight for his perceived vision for a better Humanity? He once again had the dilemma of how to proceed but in the end came back to the same answer, he had to stay for now. Things would be different if he could convince the Alliance or the Council that the Reapers exist. However, since they didn't and Cerberus did, Jack couldn't see another option. He couldn't defeat the entire Reaper army alone, no matter what he wanted.

Jack leaned back in his seat trying to hold back his anger, "Which ship was hit? Are the Quarians surviving on only two thirds of their supplies?"

Jacob was about to answer when Miranda's voice carried towards them, "Shepard, The Illusive Man wants to speak with you again. The comm system is waiting for you..."

He just got up and marched passed her trying to hide his disgust. She could've just burned a few crops inside the liveship and had a similar impact, but instead she went for the kill. The Quarians would've recovered from a loss of a crop for a season, now they were permanently crippled with less food supplies unless they had a new world to settle on. Putting that aside was difficult but he needed to focus on the bigger picture, the Collectors. He stepped on the comm device again and once the process was completed, he saw The Illusive Man sitting calmly in his chair. Jack had to wonder if he ever left this office, it didn't look like it. He was even wearing the exact same suit.

A puff of smoke from a new cigarette greeted him, "Shepard, good work on Freedom's Progress."

Jack took a hostile tone, "No thanks to Miranda... She was questioning me at every opportunity."

The Illusive Man flicked the back of the cigarette with his thumb, "If I had known Quarians were going to be there I would've sent someone else with you, I apologize. Miranda has a personal history with them, I reminded her the mission should always come first. It won't happen again, I assure you."

Jack hated the way that he seemed to have an answer for everything, "What about Veetor's omni tool data? Did it have what we're looking for?"

He readjusted his back in the chair, "Miranda forwarded the findings from Veetor's omni tool. We're still looking at the data, but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history."

Jack couldn't help but put some venom into his words, "Who would've thought that actually helping people gets you what you need more often than blowing them up?"

He took a drink from a new glass ignoring Jack's sarcasm, "Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat."

Jack looked coldly in his direction, "What's the next step then? The Collectors clearly aren't going to stop because we want them to."

He took another puff of smoke, "I don't doubt you Shepard but I need more data. I won't commit our resources if we aren't absolutely sure they're behind this." Jack was about to say something but, The Illusive Man cut him off, "But unlike the Council, I'm not going to wait until the Collectors come to our doorstep with more proof. One of my other cells have had dealings with them in the past-"

Jack snorted as a chuckle, "Why does that not surprise me?"

He put out the cigarette looking away for a moment, "It was one of many judgement errors I made with that particular cell. I have a team going to their old base looking to see if they have any Collector data. If it matches Veetor's omni data we can proceed. In the meantime, stay put and wait for my signal."

Jack bit his lower lip, "Fine, but don't keep me waiting too long. The Reapers are planning something big."

He reached for his omni tool, "I know. I'll keep you in the loop."

The images faded away leaving Jack with a bad taste in his mouth. He was reluctantly working with the people that committed genocide against the Quarians. He desperately wanted to reach out to Kal and make sure he was ok. It was a good thing Kal was an exile and far away from the fleet when it happened. The fact that Cerberus was probably monitoring all communications here was the only thing stopping him. They couldn't know he still loved Kal with all of his heart. Like Balak, Cerberus would use that love as a weapon. With that in mind, Jack returned to his room waiting to get more news.


	7. Chapter 6: Project Lazarus

Feron landed the shuttle in the abandoned station codenamed Lazarus with a sigh. Two years, two long years of being stuck in the Cerberus side of his double life and he had nothing to show for it. He thought the trip to Omega was signaling the end of his journey with these people but, in the end it was just more of the same. He would've taken 'Cassandra,' the name had to be an alias, down ages ago but the Alliance stopped him. Apparently, they decided she was more valuable alive then dead so, they wanted him to capture her. He had almost succeeded until Archangels' group raided the compound. Given the nature of who was on that team, he had sent a message to Miranda telling her that if Shepard was still alive, he'd be under her 'care.'

An anxious voice from behind him whispered, "What are we waiting on rana? I thought The Illusive Man said this place was abandoned?"

Feron grabbed his Black Widow sniper rifle from one of the cargo spaces in the Kodiak they were in, "When has that man ever told us the truth under any circumstances? You should know we need to keep our guard up Vega."

Arnold Vega had become a close friend to him these past two years, despite the man always calling him frog. Feron learned quickly that the man didn't mean it in a negative context, but more as a joke about the Drell's appearance. Arnold kept pretty quiet about himself until Feron caught the Human giving a report to Alliance Command when he was supposed to be on Cerberus duty. He then learned Cerberus had faked Arnold's death years ago so they could experiment on him, their mistake was then thinking they could use him to spy on the Alliance. Instead of doing what they told him, Arnold told the Alliance everything wanting to expose Cerberus and ExoGeni. The AIA sent him back into the organization shortly after his own infiltration and they became spy partners. He was less subtle than Feron but, the Drell made it his responsibility to make Arnold a better spy.

Arnold grabbed his shotgun from the same storage compartment and started opening the Kodiak's side door, "You don't think that little one percent culo suspects us do you?"

Feron stepped out of the shuttle giving a preliminary scan of the empty hangar with his black eyes, "We've given him no reason to think we are betraying him. And I doubt he would be listening to anything Cassandra says if I'm right."

Arnold sounded uncertain as he followed Feron, "Yeah... have you heard from Miranda about the intel at all?"

Feron slowly walked forward half expecting a trap to spring at them at any moment, "No I haven't, just The Illusive Man. Silence is a good thing though, if we were wrong she would've attacked us for giving her a false lead."

As they spoke, Feron was noticing just how empty this place really was. This Cassandra must've left in a hurry knowing her schemes were finally catching up to her. He had to wonder if she always had a great escape in mind from the beginning of Omega or, had the rise of Archangel and his team make her reconsider her plans? The question remained as to why she would abandon this station as well, it wasn't like Archangel traveled outside of Omega for his prey. What had she done that she thought was so out of line for Cerberus that she ran instead of trying to explain herself? The Illusive Man had been more than a little forgiving towards her mistakes in the past.

Arnold took a deep breath starting to hack a door, "We should find a way to tell him you know. I could pin it on Yang or Vladimir, he deserves to know Feron."

Feron stayed silent for a few seconds, they've had this argument several times before now, "And what would that achieve exactly? If we're wrong we'd just be giving him false hope. He's carrying himself by a thread right now as it is."

Arnold sounded frustrated glaring at him, "You just said the silence on Miranda's part probably means he's alive somewhere. Tell me it's wrong to not want to reunite them. You saw the video of Kal getting Jack out of that rubble just like I did. That's the type of love you don't wanna get in the way of brother."

Feron watched as the door to the main facility opened, "That may be true but you know we can't. You should drop it."

The debate at it's core was simple, ever since they had discovered the possibility that Shepard could still be alive and just kidnapped by Cassandra, Arnold wanted to let Kal'Reegar know the truth. In the past two years, the Quarian was on a self destructive path, he had gone straight to Omega after Jack's funeral service. Seeing as he was a veteran of the Skillyian Blitz on the Alliance's side, Kal assumed he would've been killed on sight. However, as if by the grace of Arashu herself, Archangel had saved him and they had worked together ever since. Feron was worried that the increasing danger the group put themselves in was a problem but, it wasn't his place to stop them.

On the surface, telling Kal his husband may be alive and well was a good idea but, Feron saw too many risks involved. The first was just the fact that getting the word out to him could expose them for not being team players. If their hunch was true to begin with, he had a feeling The Illusive Man would want to keep Shepard's siha as far away from him as possible. Secondly, if Kal knew the truth and who was behind it, he would tear apart every Cerberus base he could get his hands on to find him. That could disrupt their own operations when they were so close to finding The Illusive Man. Feron firmly believed that the two were soulmates but, getting them together right now was just too risky. Third, he believed Cerberus planned on trying to get Arnold and Jack back together. Since they thought Arnold was on the inside, he would work as a kind of anchor for Shepard to stay with Cerberus. They should've known Kal was a much better solution but, he couldn't be as easily manipulated.

Arnold gave him a smirk, "Yeah I should, but I'm not going to. It's wrong to just let him keep living his life thinking Jack's dead. I mean, he already has that Batarian in the group chasing after him. Think how complicated that would get if that becomes something and then he sees Jack?"

Feron started walking down the hall, "By that argument someone should've told Jack you were alive so he wouldn't fall in love for Kal. Things happen, in the end we can't change anything. If Kal is intimate with the Batarian, he is."

Arnold shook his head, "We were different, a fling when someone was eighteen is a lot different than promising your soul to someone forever and ever. All I'm saying is Kal would be better as a friend to us than an enemy."

Feron stopped and started looking around, "Arnold, what looks wrong to you about this place?"

At first glance, the hallway they were in looked like every other Cerberus hallway either of them had ever been in. The walls were a sharp white color and the black floors were as spotless as ever. However, the windows looking into the other rooms didn't have the usual LOKI mech equipment Feron would've expected. Cassandra's cells main objective was making the LOKI's so nothing else should be around. The rooms he was looking into though had medical supplies everywhere. It was the type of equipment you'd see at hospitals in the middle of high profile surgeries, not a mechanics building. The sight of the surgeon's tools make a memory flash behind his eyes.

He couldn't wait for Arnold, narrating what he was seeing, "My mother lays on the table, limp with her eyes closed peacefully. I try to push past the nurses to wipe the blood from her dress, she never wanted to be dirty. I cry for my father but no one is there as her vitals go flat. I do not understand what that means until someone tells me she has passed away..."

Arnold smiles faintly trying to pretend he hadn't just heard all that, "This looks like a hospital, what does Cassandra need with all this stuff?"

Feron took a deep breath appreciating Arnold for not bringing his spoken memory up, "Exactly, I'm going to look around the office. We need to know what was going on here. You should looked around the operating rooms, maybe there will be clues."

The two split up and Feron went into what looked like the main office. Unlike the hangar and hallways behind him, this room was absolutely littered with omni paperwork and other recording devices. Cassandra must've really been in a hurry if she just left all of this evidence laying around. What made her so sloppy compared to Miranda's efficient methods? What was Cassandra so afraid of? Looking over the written documents made Feron frown, they were Turian organ replacement reports. She had ordered everything from the heart, eyes, lungs to the male reproductive organs. Why did she need all of these materials? It wasn't like Cerberus needed credits through black market smuggling. For a moment, he thought they could be for Shepard because of his Turian DNA contribution but, these were Turian specific organs.

His finger hit play on the recording device hoping whatever she had stored here would help him understand what was happening here, "Cora reporting in at... 2200 hundred hours on New Years day 2183, Project Lazarus has officially begun. It took some convincing to get the CSEC people to give me the body in the middle of the night but, boys will be boys. Dad always encouraged me to use my natural talents, now I just need to get medical professionals in here quietly."

Feron was letting all of that soak in his memory while searching through the paperwork. The important thing was that he had a new name, Cora. He initially wondered why have codenames inside your own organization but, it made sense against people like him. Her status as an operator for a cell made her more important than others inside Cerberus. Also, the mention of a dad teaching her something made alarm bells go off. What if the Alliance's sudden change of heart just wanting to capture her was because they knew who she was related to? It wouldn't surprise him if her father was actually The Illusive Man, he had given her more freedom to mess up than any other agent.

He listened closer to the next recording, "April 10th, 2183 and progress is slow as it could possibly be. Removing the Reapers' tiny micromachines is harder than it looked on paper. They seem to attach to individual blood cells to emit the signals related to indoctrination so we have to get rid of them before we put in a new heart. If Wilson didn't have to ping pong between me and the bitch we'd be going so much faster. Dad won't help me thinking a doctor is outside of my scope... I wish Kai was here.."

Things were starting to become clear through the process of elimination. Cora was working with a Turian body that had been in close contact with Reaper materials and died shortly before New Years of 2183. That really left him with only one option, Saren Arterius. The revelation just gave him more questions, what did Cerberus want with his body? Was Cora honestly trying to bring Saren back from the dead to help Cerberus? Saren had been no friend to Humanity even before his indoctrination so why would he be now? Did she really believe Saren would thank her if she somehow succeeded? Unfortunately, only one other recording had been saved, there was no way he was getting all of his answers.

Cora's voice sounded excited, "December 4th, 2184 and finally we can wake him up. After putting so much time on freezing his brain in cryo, the transplant, scanning for indoctrination, all of it! I can happily say I brought Saren Arterius back to life with all of his memories and minus the Reaper indoctrination. The tech I traded with the Collectors really made all the difference in the world. And to top it all off, all they wanted in exchange was for me to keep Shepard in his cryo pod. Hopefully, this will be a big enough present to dad, otherwise I'm screwed."

He looked at his own omni tool, it was December 29th, 2184. Saren could be alive and walking by now, and Shepard was confirmed to be alive somewhere. He had a feeling The Illusive Man had known exactly what was going on here and that was why he was here. Someone other than Shepard needed to grab this Collector data because it was a person. He needed to find Arnold quickly, things were about to get a lot more complicated.


	8. Chapter 7: She Needs a Name

Jack paced around his room wondering why the confirmation of the Collectors was taking so long. Having only seen the video footage alone, Miranda had practically declared it was the Collectors and yet The Illusive Man seemed to be dragging his feet. Jack was starting to think for all his talk of a big game, Cerberus was going to shrink away from the problem just like the Council. The difference was, the Council mostly let him travel as he pleased, Cerberus on the other hand were content with keeping him prisoner. At least it felt that way since the only time he could leave his room was during meal times. He felt trapped like a lab rat despite doing nothing wrong.

His immediate thought was Cerberus was hiding something from him. It didn't have to be about the Collectors either, he was sure The Illusive Man would want to put anything Quarian related under the rug. Despite not asking about him, Cerberus weren't fools, they'd know he loved Kal and would do anything for him and by extension the Quarian people as a whole. Even though he realized this, Jack still firmly believed Kal was safer as far away from him as possible. He just hoped Kal could stay out of their reach while he played the role of puppet to The Illusive Man. The more Cerberus thought he was playing along, within reason, the safer Kal would be.

Miranda opened the door to his room without knocking, "Shepard we have a lead, The Illusive Man is ready to talk to you in the conference room."

Jack wasted little time going there having no idea how long he had been waiting, "What have we got?"

The Illusive Man was standing and lighting a cigarette, "We were able to discover more of what my rogue cell was up to. But more importantly, we confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions."

Jack gritted his teeth a little irritated, "I'm glad we spent so much time looking into what I already told you."

He actually chuckled walking towards his chair, "You know I had my own suspicions, but I needed proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best."

Jack tried to get a read on him but, the expression was unreadable, "Jacob told me a little about them on Freedom's Progress but, I'd like to hear what you know about them."

He shrugged inhaling on the cigarette, "Not much more I'm afraid, they periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items, tech, or specimens. Usually in exchange for their own advanced technology. When their transactions are complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrived; back beyond the unmapped Omega-4 relay."

Jack raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, "And you didn't find that suspicious at all? Why would an advanced species give away their technology practically for free? I thought you people were a Humanity first type of organization."

He took a defensive tone, "Until now, we've had no evidence of direct aggression by the Collectors. And you should know I'm willing to work with other races when the greater good is involved. Otherwise we wouldn't speaking right now because of your relationships in the past."

Jack wanted to smack him from here and would've if he still had biotics, "I don't think that's any of your god damned business now is it? I'm still confused about how the Collectors and Reapers are connected. Why didn't they attack sooner with Sovereign?"

He gave a placating hand gesture, "Point taken Shepard, regardless if they're agents for the Reapers, it could be for any number of reasons. The search for new technology perhaps? Or like the Geth they see the Reapers as their gods."

Something still didn't feel right about that explanation even though it was all based in fact. In all his conversations with Sovereign and the Prothean device on Ilos, it was very clear that the Reapers didn't discriminate. They wanted to destroy all life in existence and perfected their craft for millions of years. Victory had even suggested the cycle played out almost exactly the same each time, even with character archetypes. Beings with that much power probably weren't known to pick on a single race. It wasn't as if Humanity was the most advanced race in the known galaxy either, the Reapers had plenty of other targets. The Reapers must've seen something special in Humans. It was the only logical explanation.

Jack folded his arms, "I still don't get why they're only attacking us. From everything I learned, it would make more sense if the Collectors kidnapped multiple species."

He waved a hand seemingly dismissing his argument, "Their focus shifted to Humanity only after you and the Human fleet destroyed Sovereign. What really concerns me is why they bother abducting the colonists. Once the Humans are paralyzed, why not just kill them?"

Jack pondered that for a moment, "On Therum, Saren told me the Reapers needed our organic material to survive. At the time I thought he was just crazy but, maybe he was telling the truth... What's our next step?"

A LOKI mech passed through Jack highlighting this was just a hologram and filled The Illusive Man's glass, "I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them. I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries. You'll get dossiers on the best of them. Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but, your a natural leader."

The pit of Jack's stomach felt uneasy from the idea of working with only the people Cerberus chose for him to work with. What if The Illusive Man asked him to do something crazy and Jack didn't have anyone to back him up? Already Miranda had chastised him for just wanting to help people she didn't like. He also knew that if push came to shove, Jacob would follow whatever Cerberus wanted, not his orders. Even though he needed to keep Kal safe, the other old members of his team could maybe join him. He was sure Liara would love to see more Prothean technology and Garrus was like a brother to him. It was risky to get others involved but, he needed an insurance policy.

Jack held a defiant tone, "Keep your list, I want people I can trust. The crew who helped me stop Saren and the Geth."

The Illusive Man finished his cigarette, "That was two years ago, Commander. Most of them have moved on... or their allegiances have changed. William's still with the Alliance, even promoted I believe. Her file is surprisingly well-classified though. Urdnot Wrex returned to Tuchanka and hasn't gone off-world in over a year. He's trying to unite the Krogan clans with his Genophage cure. The Turian and your husband disappeared a few months after you were declared dead. Even we haven't been able to locate them. Liara is on Illium, and my sources say that she's working for the Shadow Broker. If so, she can't be trusted. Tali'Zorah is with the Quarian fleet guarding Legion and stolen Cerberus property. And finally, Feron still works for us but, I'm unwilling to pull him away from his current assignment."

Out of all of that, Jack was just happy to hear Kal was with Garrus, they'd take good care of each other, "Ok I get it, they're unavailable."

He finished the scotch in one shot, "You're a leader, Shepard. You'll get who you need. I've also made it clear to Miranda and Jacob that you're in charge. You ultimately decide who joins your squad. In the meantime, I'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."

Jack bowed his head and turned to walk out of the call, "We'll be ready, just point us in the right direction when the time comes."

The Illusive Man spoke quickly to cut him off, "Good. Two things before you go: First, head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant Salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counteract the Collectors' paralyzing seeker swarms."

Jack turned back around only to rub the back of his neck and raise an eyebrow, "I don't think I'll be personally welcome there from the Blitz but I can try."

He relaxed in his chair seemingly very smug, "By the time you get there, Aria won't be a problem. Just find Doctor Solus in the chaos and get back out."

Jack didn't like the sound of that but, they needed the Salarian's expertise, "Alright, and the second thing?"

He started to tap his omni tool, "I've found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust."

When the image faded away a familiar voice spoke from behind him, "Hey Commander, long time no see."

The voice made him jump surprised turning around to see Joker sitting in his wheelchair behind him. His former pilot looked as healthy as ever and a happy expression was on his face. Seeing Joker made him a little more confident that Kal was alright wherever he and Garrus were now. Kal and Joker were in the same escape pod so, it stood to reason that if one was ok, so was the other. He still wondered why The Illusive Man got Joker on the team, Jack wasn't going to suddenly start trusting them now. At the same time, why would Joker even consider joining Cerberus? During Jacob's revenge plot on Virmire, Joker had almost gotten killed. Sure, The Illusive Man could probably afford to dump millions of credits on his doorstep but, he didn't think Joker was the type of pilot to just fly for the credits.

Jack grinned walking towards him, "What the hell are you doing here? Your the absolute last person I expected to see wandering around here."

Joker smirked starting to turn his chair around, "Look who's talking. I saw you fly away in space like Carrie Poppins." He motioned for Jack to follow him, "It all fell apart without you, Commander. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone. Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded. The Alliance took away the only thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined Cerberus."

Jack rubbed his forehead for a second, "There goes my hope for the Alliance actually doing something against the Reapers. Do you honestly trust Cerberus though? After everything they put us through?"

Joker snorted sounding amused before stopping his chair in front of some windows that looked into what appeared to be a ship dock, "I don't trust anyone who makes more credits than I do, but they aren't all bad. Saved your life. Let me fly, and then there's this."

Lights along the dock outside started to light up outside and Jack couldn't believe his eyes. Floating next to the dock of the space station was the Normandy. It wasn't the exact same ship, this model was larger more along the lines of a cruiser than the original's frigate designation. This new Normandy also had the Cerberus colors painted all over it and a set of massive guns attached to the front of the ship. While it was nice to see something so familiar, Jack had to wonder if that was the point in a bad way. The Illusive Man could be trying to lower his guard and allow him to trust what they were up to. He had to stay vigilant for their next move.

Joker's voice pulled him from his thoughts, "They only told me last night, it even has better microwaves to make popcorn apparently."

Jack smirked remembering Joker's old fascination with the snack food, "The ships going to need a name though."

After going back to his room and collecting his new set of armor, Jack started making his way through the halls towards his new ship, the Normandy SR2. He wasn't sure how he was going to get Doctor Solus but, he had to start somewhere. He hoped he would never have to come back to this station ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the Last Jedi fans out there, sorry for the jab but I couldn't help myself.


	9. Chapter 8: The Trip to Omega

Jack felt a strange sense of deja vú as he entered the new Normandy. Besides the Cerberus support crew wandering about, the architecture looked identical to what he remembered. The CIC and galaxy map were towards the center of the ship while the cockpit was at the very front of the ship. He found it strange that Cerberus would've kept the Turian design but, it did make him feel like he was at home. He was still worried that Miranda and Jacob could turn against him for 'the good of Humanity,' but he had to put that in the back of his mind. The Collectors could be kidnapping Humans right now under their noses. He just hoped this Mordin Solus could actually deliver on what The Illusive Man claimed the Salarian could.

When the airlock door closed behind him, he could feel the Normandy unhook itself from the space station and start to fly. Joker must've been dying to get this ship moving and test how it flew. Jack thought that was definitely a good idea since this version of the ship was a larger cruiser design. It would fly slower than a frigate, making some of the close calls and escapes the original Normandy allowed impossible. Jack also had to wonder what the new size class meant for the stealth systems. He remembered the fear on the way to Eden Prime as people worried that the frigate's drive core couldn't handle cloaking themselves from enemy sensors. With the larger mass of a cruiser, was stealth even possible? Jack had to assume the answer was yes, otherwise The Illusive Man wouldn't have gone to all the trouble to make the ship's identical in every other way.

A feminie synthetic voice spoke from the intercom as he entered the CIC, "Hello Commander Shepard, I'd like to introduce myself, I am the artificial intelligence for the Normandy SR2. The crew like to refer to me as EDI. I believe we met on Luna two years ago."

He remembered her from the base attack on Luna quite well. The broken speech patterns she used made quite the impression. EDI was one of two AI's the Alliance had been developing for some unknown purpose that had been classified even to him. This half of the AI pair had led him to the assassin he later learned was Kai Leng in order to try and save her 'brother.' At the time, Jack questioned if EDI had been purposely misleading him since the path she provided was filled with Cerberus assassins. Tali had pushed back on that saying an AI in it's infancy wasn't capable of lying. Now that EDI was speaking in perfect basic, Jack had to assume she wasn't an infant anymore and could thus lie. Great, yet another person on the ship he had to worry about.

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah I remember you, I also remember you leading me to get my ass kicked. Can I trust you to work with me?"

A blue ord of circular energy appeared a top a holographic projector on the wall representing EDI, "Your distrust is logical, Shepard. Unlike the irrational mistrust of most Humans. I assure you, I am not in permanent control of the ship. Due to the potential dangers of a rogue AI, Cerberus has severely restricted my capabilities. I observe, offer analysis, advice, and can assist piloting maneuvers in combat situations, nothing more. In conclusion, I am not a threat to you or anyone else on the ship."

Jack looked at EDI still feeling uneasy, "That still seems like a lot to me, I don't like Joker being a token pilot either. He saved our asses plenty of times during the hunt for Saren."

EDI's voice was flat and monotoned, "I do not primarily helm the ship. Even in combat situations I only manage critical ship systems for optimal performance. Mr. Moreau's talents will not go to waste."

Joker chimed in through the intercom as well, "I guess she's like a mom then. Just wanting the best for her kids but you can say screw that mom, I'm doing things my way."

EDI spoke and the orb turned left and right like she was shaking her head, "Mr. Moreau already seems to not understand that synthetics do not have offspring and therefore cannot be mothers."

Joker took on a sarcastic tone, "I think we have a keeper Commander. Just like Liara, EDI here can't seem to be able to laugh at a joke."

EDI seemed to take that personally, "Cerberus did not believe installing humor algorithms were needed for the mission, I could place another request in with The Illusive Man if you think it could help with squad morale."

Jack sighed rubbing his forehead, already he could tell these two were going to be interesting working together, "No need EDI, Joker could use someone to keep him grounded. Are we ready to leave for Omega?"

EDI luckily didn't skip a beat despite Joker's groan, "The Normandy has a full crew. They're at their stations awaiting your orders."

Joker added, "Final preparations for the FTL jump are complete, Commander stick in the mud. When you're ready to go, just pick a destination from the galaxy map in the CIC and I'll plot a course."

Jack tapped the button on his omni tool to leave and immediately heard the drive core roar to life somewhere below them. The loudness from the core suggested the SR2 dealt with a lot of eezo and power. He was beginning to think that the constant noise would be annoying in conversations but, once the Normandy actually started moving, the engine sound died down again. Jack had to assume the ship had a new experimental drive core from a noise like that. Even the Everest, the Alliance dreadnought he had started his military career on, didn't make a sound that loud when jumping into a Mass Relay. And that ship was at least three times the size of the SR2.

EDI's calm voice spoke to him, "At our current speed, we will arrive on Omega in the next three hours. In the meantime, Operative Taylor requested to have a word with you in the armory down the hall. Executive Lawson also wanted to discuss something with you in her office on the second floor of the ship."

He held the bag with his armor in one hand looking around, "Thanks EDI, let me know if anything changes."

His immediate desire was to just keep to himself in wherever his Captain's Quarters were but, talking to them both was a good idea. They had no idea how long it would take to stop the Collectors, however, it was safe to assume it was going to take longer than a vacation weekend. As he entered the new armory, Jack realized that The Illusive Man wasn't interested in developing a direct reproduction of the original Normandy. Instead, this ship was meant to be an upgrade in every way. The original Normandy's armory only consisted of a few lockers for storage in the cargo hold. This room had entire walls of various weapons leading to a small shooting range in the back of the room. It would allow anyone on the crew to test their accuracy with each weapon and find their strengths.

Jacob was standing in front of an omni projector listening to the news, "Emily Wong here from ANN here to bring you some breaking news. Sources on the ground on Omega have confirmed Aria T'Loak has just survived an assassination attempt from within. Details are still coming in but, early speculation has indicated that the mysterious vigilanty known only as Archangel teamed up with the Talons gang on the attack."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "The Illusive Man mentioned Aria wasn't going to be a problem. Did he plan this?"

Jacob turned off the news to look at him, "It's complicated, he didn't specifically but, let's just say he won't be shedding very many tears if this works. I'm glad your here Jack, on the first Normandy I gave new crew members the tour so, I only thought it would be fitting I did the same for you."

Jack shrugged lightly looking over at his bag, "I'd like to put my new armor away first. Where's the ship's Captains Quarters?"

Jacob motioned for Jack to follow him, "It won't take as long as you think. The Illusive Man commissioned the construction of this Normandy shortly after your disappearance." The elevator door immediately opened to Jack's surprise and Jacob continued, "We kept as many of the original blue prints as possible but, we made a few upgrades. First of all, we have new weapons and armor, Cerberus doesn't want to have another Normandy get destroyed by the Reapers."

Jack leaned against the back wall of the elevator expecting they would be their for awhile, "What about the stealth drive? I'm assuming it still works on this ship right? Otherwise The Illusive Man could've just given me any cruiser if it didn't work."

Jacob chuckled with a smirk, "Don't ask me the specifics of the technology but, it definitely works. And then there's this..."

The elevator door opened into what Jack could only assume was his new quarters. They were far larger than the originals' with a skylight looking directly into space just above the bed and a giant fish tank along the back wall. The tank gave him fond memories of going to different aquariums on the many planets his mother had been deployed on. It was a reminder of his childhood but, it made him slightly uncomfortable. How much did The Illusive Man know about his time growing up to know the fish tank was nice for him? He could've probably just looked up records of tickets to different aquariums. Cerberus certainly had the intelligence gathering capacity to find something like that.

Jack raised an eyebrow feeling a little skeptical, "A little extravagant for a single room of the ship for the Captain don't you think?"

Jacob shrugged not knowing the significance, "I wasn't involved with the construction so I can't comment on that. We just want you to be comfortable while your here."

Jack looked at him like he had made a bad joke, "I'm never going to be comfortable here Jacob, if the Collector threat wasn't real, we'd be probably trying to kill each other right now."

Jacob bowed his head and put both hands behind his back professionally, "Understood Commander, I'll be in the armory until we reach Omega if you need me."

He watched as Jacob left the room and sat on the edge of the king size bed. The size just made him wish Kal was with him more and more, they would've been far more comfortable on this bed than the original Normandy's. He knew he couldn't reach out at all because Kal would want to be by his side but, the temptation was certainly there. It was going to be hard to sleep alone again knowing Kal was out there thinking he was dead. Maybe rumors of a Normandy running around Omega would reach Kal and give him some hope. Knowing Miranda still wanted to talk, Jack entered the zippy elevator and went down to the second floor.

This floor had the same general design as the CIC and cockpit but, instead of the galaxy map there was a small mess hall. On the left side of the hall was a single office labeled, "Executive Lawson," and on the right was the medbay. Several Cerberus guards and other random personnel nodded and saluted him as he walked towards Miranda's office. These people didn't look like the xenophobic individuals he had come to expect from the terrorist organization and instead, just looked like normal people you'd find as neighbors. He had to wonder how many of these people actually knew everything Cerberus did or, were they just doing this because they believed Cerberus actually helped Humanity?

Miranda looked up at him from the desk she was starting to set up, "Commander, I appreciate you coming to see me. I realize our last discussion wasn't exactly friendly."

Jack relaxed against the closed door, "That's probably the biggest understatement of the year. If your going to stay on this ship, I need to know you'll follow my orders. Even when Quarians are involved."

She lowered her gaze towards her terminal for a moment, "I understand completely, we need the team on the same page if we're going to beat the Collectors. Freedom's Progress brought back some unresolved personal issues, it won't happen again."

Jack knew he shouldn't bring this up but, he wanted to know more about the woman who had caused him so many problems, "The Illusive Man said as much. I'm guessing those issues have something to do with Oriana?"

To her credit, Miranda's expression didn't flinch, "Jacob talks too much... Yes they have everything to do with her but the situation is resolved as best it can be. I won't defend what I did to you. For the sake of the mission we should leave it be."

Jack wasn't going to push it farther, at least right now, "Ok then, tell me about yourself Miranda."

Miranda had a business like tone, "Worried about my qualifications? I can crush a mech with my biotics or shoot its head off at 100 yards. Take your pick, you've seen plenty of it for yourself."

Jack shook his head with a smile, "No, tell me about you. What do you like to do in your free time? What do you like to eat? Things like that."

Truthfully, Jack could care less about any of the answers to any of those questions. He was asking though because he needed to start trying to fit in with Cerberus. If he was going to get out of this alive after the Collectors were dealt with, it would be because they didn't see him as a threat. He was already talking to Jacob but due to their past, it would be completely unbelievable that they would suddenly become friends. Similarly, since he was married to a Quarian, Jack couldn't claim that he thought Cerberus' ideology was correct. Out of all the bad options, trying to pretend to become Miranda's friend seemed like the only way to get an 'in.'

Her tone was dismissive, "I'm not looking for a friend, Shepard. Stay focused on the mission."

Jack paused trying to pick a new approach, "How'd you join Cerberus? Is there a recruitment center somewhere with neon signs on it that the Alliance doesn't know about?"

She started to sound impatient with him now, "No, The Illusive Man recognized my potential and recruited me personally at a young age."

Jack started to wonder if Cerberus specifically targeted children for his mission, he certainly seemed like a long term planner, "How young exactly?"

Miranda had a defensive tone, "Old enough to know this was what I wanted Shepard. The Illusive Man isn't some sexual predator boogyman."

EDI's blue orb appeared next to the door, "Shepard, we are about forty five minutes out from Omega. I'd suggest preparing for the mission."

Jack started to turn towards the door, "Thanks EDI." He started to step out but, looked back towards her, "If you ever want to talk about Oriana, you can talk to me anytime."

Miranda had a matter of fact tone, "I know Jack, I've read your file."

With that hanging in the air, Jack went back to his cabin. If he knew Aria, Omega was going to be a warzone.


	10. Chapter 9: Her One Rule

Jack went to the cockpit a short time later looking out the larger viewport as they jumped out of FTL. While he had heard a lot about the capital of the Terminus Systems, seeing Omega in person was impressive and rather intimidating. Omega wasn't a planet but the remains of a Prothean asteroid mining facility. What had once been giant drills into the asteroid, were now modified into buildings for the populace. The Prothean technology in the core of the asteroid created an artificial atmosphere and gravity source for the entire base. This allowed the people living on Omega to add to the buildings and make bridges to connect them.

However, because the Terminus Systems were independent from the Council, they didn't have the economy to maintain the station well. Even from here, Jack could see most of the additions were made from scrap metal gathered over the years. The metalic additions were a completely different material and were just bolted onto the older Prothean drills. It didn't exactly look safe to be inside these buildings since they seemingly vibrated from the asteroid flying through it's belt. They looked like they could snap off at any moment but, these additions added literal kilometers of living space, similar to the Citadel's Wards. If he had to guess, Jack would've assumed that something to do with the actual Prothean technology was the only reason Omega held together.

Jack was surprised that the Normandy wasn't getting shot down immediately because of it's famous ID signature, maybe Aria just didn't care. He wasn't the only one that contributed to her defeat on Torfan, and it wasn't like she had been personally banking on a victory. Jack knew that was just wishful thinking, Aria was known to hold grudges. The more likely answer was that she just had her hands full dealing with the assassination attempt. His hope was that she wouldn't be able to connect Cerberus to the attack too quickly, otherwise they were screwed. Maybe he would get lucky and Mordin Solus was near by just waiting for them, he could dream.

Joker docked the Normandy at the center drill in the middle of a cluster of them, "Good luck Commander, if you get shot the minute you leave the ship please don't bleed too much, will you? Would look bad for the ship's resale value."

Jack smiled approaching the airlock next to the cockpit, "Thanks for the vote of confidence Joker, I'll be sure to put it on your next employment recommendation letter."

EDI replied, not understanding the sarcasm, "Shepard, it would be unwise to fire Mr. Moreau, his records indicate he was the top of his class at Grissom Academy. No one else would be better suited for this mission."

Before he could say anything, Miranda stepped up beside him, "Log off EDI." She looked over at Jack and continued, "I have to meet up with the local cell here and catch up on what I've inherited here. I'll follow your nav point and meet up with you when I can."

Jack nodded to her as the door opened feeling uneasy about what she was doing without him, "Oh then, hopefully we'll just have Doctor Solus in hand by the time your done."

Jacob approached him from the other side and pointed out to the port, "After you Jack."

The three of them walked out to the landing port in Omega and separated. He assumed that Miranda was going to see what went wrong with the assassination attempt on Aria that Cerberus clearly orchestrated. It made perfect sense to him as to why The Illusive Man wanted her out of the picture. Before anyone knew that the Reapers existed, Aria T'Loak was seen as Humanities' public enemy number one. It was only a matter of time before she decided another Skillyian Blitz was in her best interest. With her gone, maybe the Alliance could've focused on the real threat of the Reapers. However, with the news hitting the extranet that she survived the attack, it was clear Cerberus had underestimated the Asari's resolve here.

If the exterior of Omega highlighted the technological disadvantage of the Terminus Systems, the interior showcased the true economic hardships they faced. Individuals from seemingly every race were laying in makeshift beds across the docks. The smell from people who hadn't showered in weeks or didn't have access to proper bathrooms filled the air around them. No wonder the Batarians had desperately attacked the Alliance, they had nothing left here. Sure, most of these people had probably done some bad things but, no one deserved to live like this. If he could, Jack would've tried to help as many of the people here as he could but, it would take the Council's direct intervention to have a real impact.

Jacob followed him through the crowd tossing a spare few credits on the ground behind him, "Any ideas on how we find Doctor Solus? I doubt he's going to have a bright neon sign on him."

He was about to answer when a Batarian in full armor walked up to them from beyond the docks, "Welcome to Omega... Shepard."

Jack tensed putting his hand on his pistol, "That was fast, aren't you people a little busy right now with the assassination attempt and everything?"

The Batarian had a toothy grin on his face, "Of course, but we're going to make an exception for you. We had your ship ID tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. Your not as subtle as you think."

Jack was still getting ready for a fight just in case, "What do you people want with me? I thought anyone could come to Omega without fear of the law."

The Batarian also put his hand on his hip, "Aria wants to know what brings a dead SPECTRE to Omega. I suggest you follow me to Afterlife now and present yourself."

Jacob raised an eyebrow obviously feeling just as reluctant as Jack, "Isn't she a little busy right now? We wouldn't want to bother her."

The Batarian had a smug expression, "Things explode around Shepard all the time, last time he was in our space he dropped a literal nuke on Virmire. You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on him."

Jack couldn't argue with that logic and so they followed the Batarian through the city streets. The landing port looked like a five star hotel compared to how people here were living. Most people weren't even wearing clothes forced to use them for their makeshift houses along the side of the road they walked on. If Jack had any credits he would've bought food for everyone he could but, Cerberus hadn't actually given him access to his personal bank account yet. Hopefully Kal received all of his assets anyways making that an irrelevant option. Even if he had the funds, their Batarian escort kept his weapon close at hand to scare anyone from approaching. It was a good idea really, Jack wasn't exactly popular here and Aria would want to deal with him herself.

When they rounded the next corner, Jack immediately saw where they were headed. The Afterlife club served as Aria's government building, or the closest equivalent, for the entire Terminus Systems. The strip club represented Aria's live and let live philosophy for her entire 'people.' Unless someone was really causing chaos for Aria, like Balak had, she was willing to ignore criminal enterprises. He ignored the loud booming rave music, the many barely dressed Asari spinning around the dance poles, and the bartenders calling out for him to buy a drink and merely followed the Batarian up the stairs to the upper VIP section.

After climbing up yet another flight of stairs, Jack assumed they were entering Aria's office. The room was small with just a single couch in the back of the room to look over the rest of the club. Two more Asari were dancing on either side of the room seemingly for the benefit of the guards stationed up here. Aria herself looked like most Asari with the same feminine almost perky figure but, her purple skin suggested an advanced age. He would guess she was around eight hundred years old but that meant she still had two hundred years to rule Omega. She was wearing a short white jacket with the zipper undone revealing a black combat suit underneath that Jack associated with the under armor for an Alliance uniform. The Asari's back was turned away from them looking at a bullet hole in her window.

Aria waved her hand silently and a new Batarian approached them with his omni tool, "Stand still while I scan you."

Knowing they would eventually find their weapons, Jack just pulled his free, "Not doing a very good job there are you?" Looking over to Aria he said, "Is this really necessary? You have enough guards here to kill me regardless of what I'm carrying."

Aria turned around with her arms crossed taking a sarcastic tone, "Can't be too careful with dead SPECTREs. That could be anyone wearing your face."

Jack raised an eyebrow and tilted his head, "You don't believe I ever died then? I would've thought you'd celebrate the occasion. After Torfan that is."

Aria's foot tapped the floor seeming somewhat distracted, "Your death was downplayed, but hardly what I call a secret. Usually that would mean the Alliance had you doing something classified. After the day I've been having, I had to make sure it was really you. You could be anyone. Anything."

Jack wanted to throw in a little jab while the Batarian kept scanning him, "Getting a little paranoid in your old age aren't you? Worried it's all slipping away tonight?"

Her tone was harsh as she snapped back at him, "You would be a little paranoid too if one of your f... associates tried to kill you over a misunderstanding."

The Batarian gave her the thumbs up, "They're clean. I still don't like this though."

Jack could definitely agree with the sentiment of the guard, feeling tense. They were trapped in a room full of twenty Batarians that probably wanted his head on a spike because of what happened with Balak. At any moment Aria could decide they had overstayed their welcome on Omega and kill them in the process. However, Jack could potentially turn this around into a benefit for their mission. Who knows how long it would take the two of them to find Mordin on their own. Aria could maybe point them in a direction, and they could then get away from here as fast as possible. There was always the possibility that Aria could lead them into a trap but, Jack was willing to take that chance.

Before Jacob could say anything, Jack said, "I understand your in the middle of a situation, help me find what I'm looking for and I'll be on my way."

Aria sat down on her couch looking smug, "Mundane things? You can find those yourself. Take a walk in a back alley, or buy one of the mercs a drink. Better yet, talk to the entertainers. I hear they give great tours. But no, you must need more. Everyone needs more of something, and they all come to me to get it."

Jacob had a skeptical tone, "Your just going to help us after everything Shepard did to you? Why do I find that very hard to believe?"

She actually laughed at Jacob, "You think I'm pissed because of Balak? That little insignificant pyjak forgot one very important thing about Omega. I'm the boss, CEO, queen... if your feeling dramatic. It doesn't matter. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule. Don't -fuck- with Aria." She looked back at Jack, "What do you need to get off my rock?"

Jack went straight to the point, "Doctor Mordin Solus, he has the scientific background I need for my mission."

Aria took a glass of wine with a bitter expression on her face, "That's going to be difficult Shepard. Last I heard, he was trying to heal people in the bloody crusade Archangel tried to start."

Jack put both of his hands in his lap, "It sounds like Archangel has been a thorn in your side for awhile. Who is he?"

She shook her head trying to hide a blind fury behind her eyes, "I don't know as much as I'd like. He showed up here about a year ago and started causing all sorts of problems. If you make your own laws, which everyone here does, he makes life difficult. He thinks he's fighting on the side of good. There is no good side to Omega. Everything he does pisses someone off, and it's finally catching up to him."

Jack had a feeling this was personal for her but, he wasn't going to poke that hornets nest, "I like the way he thinks, maybe he could be part of my team as well."

Aria chuckled obviously amused by the suggestion, "That's assuming you can get to him. He's in a bit of trouble right now. The Blue Suns, Eclipse, and Blood Pack have decided to take him down." She took another long drink of the wine, "They're Omega's major players... now that the Talons have been wiped out. Unless they're at war, you'll never see them together. But one thing they hate more than each other right now, is Archangel."

Something Aria said triggered a memory for Jack, the Talons were stationed on Omega. Admittedly, Jack didn't know much about the gang itself but, he had known their leader well. Mandaria served on his team during the Skillyian Blitz and was a primary driver in getting Jack to make the first move on Kal. She also saved his life on Mindoir, and for that he was eternally grateful. He thought she had died during Torfan but, during the hunt for Saren they had briefly reunited. They hadn't exactly separated on the best terms but, Jack still hoped the best for her. He wondered if she was ok, or died in the fighting. She certainly was the type to defend something she cared for to her dying breath.

Jacob stepped forward obviously not feeling the same need for discretion he was, "Sounds a bit personal for you. How do we know your not just making us clean up your messes? You obviously hate Archangel with a passion. Did he break your one rule?"

Aria evaded the question, "I don't have time for hate, but I distrust them all equally. For now, I'm happy to just let them all kill each other." She took yet another drink, "More power for me all on my own."

It was very clear to Jack that something was wrong here. From everything he had learned about Aria through intelligence reports on the Everest, she wasn't normally this emotional. Jacob could be right and she could be leading them into a trap but, he had a feeling something else was going on here. Maybe she was just reminded of her own mortality from the assassination attempt. Or maybe she was losing someone close to her because of the attack. He noticed she kept bringing up the Talons, was she going to miss them? It was a strange thought to have given Aria's reputation but, everyone was capable of having compassion.

His own thoughts were bouncing around, trying to decide what the best course of action was. He could potentially let this play out and get Solus after whatever battle was going on with Archangel was over. Since Aria implied the Salarian was just being a good doctor, the mercenary groups would probably let him go after Archangel was dead. However, Jack saw the opportunity Archangel presented him with. Someone with the morals to fight for what was right on Omega was someone he could probably trust against Cerberus. It wasn't likely The Illusive Man couldn't just bribe this Archangel to get the results he wanted out of Jack. It was definitely going to be harder to rescue them both out of a firestorm. He knew though that it was the right thing to do.

Jack shrugged taking a stubborn tone, "You asked what I needed in order to leave. How do I get to Doctor Solus and Archangel through the gangs?"

Aria thought for a moment, "They've started hiring anybody with a gun to help, apparently getting desperate for a win. They're using a private room for recruiting... just over there." She pointed downstairs at the VIP section before adding, "I'm sure they'll sign you up."

Jack bowed his head while heading towards the door, "It sounds like I better get going then. Goodbye Aria."

Her voice called after him as he left, "Shepard, you look like you need to loosen up a little. You should find a nice young man to keep you warm in the meantime."

He gritted his teeth knowing she knew he was married to Kal. Aria certainly wasn't the type to respect those kinds of boundaries but she had to know he was. So it was a jab then? They really must've gotten under her skin if she was willing to lash out like that. He didn't have much time to dwell on it though because they were entering the briefing room for the mercenary groups. A large amount of random strangers were gathered around a Blue Suns affiliated Batarian. He had a holoterminal on the center table displaying what he could only assume was Archangel's home. Jack had to admit it was a nice set up with only one entrance across a narrow bridge.

The Batarian's commanding voice boomed out, answering a question that was asked before they arrived, "Last I heard, they were putting the freelancers into scouting groups; they attack in waves to distract Archangel while we try to get past his defenses. Archangel's held up in his make believe castle at the end of this boulevard. But he's getting tired, making mistakes. We'll have him soon enough."

One of the other volunteer freelancers shouted, "So what's the exact plan sir?"

The Batarian sounded frustrated and exhausted, "A small team is waiting to infiltrate his hideout, but we need to draw Archangel's fire so they can move in. You'll be on a distraction team. Head straight over the bridge and keep Archangel busy so the infiltration team can sneak in behind him."

Jacob called out, "That's suicide, his team will just kill us like fish in a barrel!"

The Batarian's head snapped at him, "If you don't like it, don't sign up! But if you do your job right, it's easy credits." Realizing he lost the room he added, "Besides, what are the odds he can kill all of you? And no, this does not make you a member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse, or the Blood Pack. You are a freelancer. Period."

Jack felt a little curious raising his hand, "Why are we killing this guy anyways? What could he possibly do to all the gangs?"

The Batarian glared at him, "Haven't been on Omega long, huh? His merry band of fuck ups does everything they can to screw with us. Shipments go missing, operations are compromised... every month it gets worse. Tarak and the other bosses are tired of losing credits... and men." He clapped his hands together, "Now if that's everything, just head over to the transport depot outside the club. One of our boys will take you from there."

As the large group of people started marching out the door, Jack could only wonder what the hell had he gotten himself into.


	11. Chapter 10: Mistakes Were Made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay, my modem died last week.

Miranda wandered through the crowded streets of Omega wondering how Aria kept so much control. Most people here literally lived along the sides of the roads in their own filth. If they rose up together, they could easily take out the pirate queen and make a better life for themselves. Hell, since the gangs were blowing each other up right now Aria would have even fewer soldiers protecting her, so, the question became; why wasn't the populace snatching up this opportunity? Did they all truly believe Aria's freedom was the best way to live? If that was the case, Miranda had inherited yet another catastrophe from her dear old friend Cora. Luckily, The Illusive Man wanted her to focus on the mission with Shepard before dealing with this mess.

She followed the marker Feron had provided to Cora's old safehouse with a strong sense of caution. While The Illusive Man insisted Cora had been dealt with for her betrayal, he refused to say how. Miranda would've been a fool if she didn't assume Cora was still out there and plotting against her. Walking around the corner, Miranda saw the supposed safehouse still had a small fire coming off the roof from the Archangel raid last week. Miranda couldn't help but smile looking at the destruction of the base. Even though she hadn't been responsible, it was still satisfying imagining what that bitch's expression was when everything went to shit here. The door was blown off it's hinges so, Miranda just started to walk in.

Feron approached her carrying some omni papers, "That was quick, The Illusive Man claimed you'd meet me here soon but-"

She cut him off feeling like she needed to hurry back to Shepard, "I need a situation report and the Collector data. Then I'll be on my way and you can continue with whatever The Illusive Man has you doing here."

Normally in a meeting like this, Miranda and Feron would talk for several hours developing plans for what should come next. He had proved himself many times over as an asset to the organization and so, he was the one man Miranda felt like she could trust completely. However, with Cora still on the loose, she didn't exactly feel safe in Cora's base. There could still be recording devices in here just waiting to catch her say something incriminating against Cora. As far as Miranda knew, The Illusive Man knew nothing about their feud for the past two years and she wanted to keep it that way. Also, as much as she trusted Jacob, it was a bad idea to keep him alone on a mission with Jack for too long.

Feron leaned back against the couch that had been tossed on it's side during the fighting, "The short version then. Cora was able to manipulate the leader of the Talons into thinking Aria kidnapped her little sister. Feeling desperate, she turned to Archangel to make a move on Afterlife. At the same time, Cora planted information here suggesting Aria knew something about Shepard's disappearance, that he was still alive and a trophy for Aria. Naturally, the two groups teamed up to make a move on Aria. Cora gave the mercenary groups a tip and it was a war for Afterlife. It's been a bloody retreat back to Archangel's base for the past twelve hours."

Miranda was very disappointed at how sloppy this plan seemingly was, Leng supposedly taught Cora better than that. Her 'genius' plan to kill Aria was based all around people taking the bait. What if neither group had bought that Aria was the mastermind behind all of their problems? Cora should've known that Aria's now most assuredly ex-lover wouldn't have the guts to kill her, even for her sister. If she had actually been serious about killing Aria, Cora should've been in her office and taken the shot herself. The way Miranda saw it, all this plan did was weaken or eliminate all of Aria's enemies, only making the Asari's grip on Omega stronger.

Miranda folded her arms and her brain raced trying to think out the next few steps, "So is Archangel dead in the water then? Do we know what he has left?"

Feron shrugged while biting his lower lip, "Unfortunately, the Blue Suns have his base blockaded so I couldn't get a current head count. However, when they were cleaning bodies away from Afterlife, I only saw Talons and Blood Pack bodies. If I had to guess? Most of Archangel's core group is still alive along with Talon leadership. They won't last long though with the combined assault of all three of the other gangs."

Another failing of Cora's popped into her mind, because of this deception, Kal'Reegar knew there was a possibility of Shepard being alive. The plan once she knew he was alive was to keep them as separate as possible. His relationship with the Batarian would've eventually turned into something, and her hope was Shepard would decide to stay in the shadows with Cerberus to not mess that up. Now, the best case scenario was Kal was still alive in the fighting and she would have to swallow her pride and save him for the good of the mission. The worst case scenario was Kal was already dead and Shepard would find out leading to an inevitable downward spiral of depression. Either way, even with Cora out of the picture, she was still finding a way to screw up Miranda's mission for her own motivations.

Miranda shook her head trying to contain the urge to lash out, "I need to get to Archangel's base then as soon as possible. Where's the Collector data you said you found at Lazarus station?"

Feron put his webbed, green hand on his forehead, "About that..."

_o0o0o0o_

Kal punched him again hearing the opaque red glass from the visor crack from the force of his fist. Unlike Kal, Golo was going to die in a few hours from exposure to the outside air. Someone had sold out the location of their base so, when they retreated, the gangs were already waiting for them. While he was confident Golo hadn't known where they had been hiding until last night, he was sure Golo knew which member of their team had flipped on them. If he had to make a guess, Kal was leaning towards Jax. The Salarian bosh'tet had sold them out before for credits.

Golo laughed and howled at the same time, "Oooh, look at you go! Now that Archangel doesn't have his leash on you, your finally able to show your true colors!"

Kal hit the visor again to make sure there was a break in the seal, "Who told Tarak where we were staying?! I know it wasn't Mandaria so, who?!"

The other Quarian crawled backwards towards a corner, "Haha, hehehe... I told you Kal that we weren't that different the last time we met... You didn't believe me, well let's look at what you've done tonight-"

Kal cut him off and pulled him to his feet, "Quit stalling! Your little white haired biotic bitch friend isn't going to save you! So, who sold us out?!"

Instead of answering, Golo tried to throw a fist at him, Kal dodged the strike and used his knee to hit him in the gut. Kal then grabbed the other Quarian's free arm and snapped it backwards from the elbow. He couldn't help but smile from the satisfying cracking noise it made. They had been chasing the Quarian slave trader for awhile now, it would be good to finally kill him. In response, Golo tried to use the gun that was up the sleeve of his good arm but, Kal let go of the arm he was breaking to spin away from the shot. He then grabbed the gun and used his grip to flip Golo back on the ground.

Kal stood over him now with his own gun drawn, "Last chance Golo, who sold us out?"

Golo was panting and clinging to the bad arm, "Maybe you should look at your lovely Batarian protector... I'm sure he would do anything to keep you safe and happy."

Kal stepped on the other Quarian's neck and pulled back the safety on his gun, "Your lying, Erash would never do that. He didn't have any debts with the Blue Suns."

Golo started laughing again, "You still think that the base you raided was Blue Suns? Hahahaha... It was a Cerberus base.. You've all been tricked by the daughter of The Illusive Man. Hahahaha, hehehe. You can bet everyone has a price that Cerberus was willing to pay."

Kal pulled the trigger blowing Golo's brains out, he wasn't going to have a repeat of what happened on Noveria. His immediate hope was that Golo was lying to create division in the group in their darkest hour but, too many things made sense. Despite the very complicated set of emotions he had with Erash, the Batarian told him it wasn't going to work out, not the other way around. After the raid on what they thought was a Blue Suns base, Erash was the primary motivator in getting him to believe Jack could be still alive. At the time, Kal just believed the hacker was just extra confident in the data but, what if he had extra information from the source?

He was about to comm Garrus with the news when he heard the sewer alarm go off. Shit, the gangs had found the back entrance and were coming in. Kal leveled his shotgun at the door and slowly approached hoping it was just a few scouts. It would be best to just kill them and then tell Garrus they needed to leave. If the back entrance was truly compromised, they were all going to die in here with no way to get out. The footsteps towards the door he was watching suddenly stopped and Kal tensed, something was wrong.

The floor beneath him slipped out from under him and Kal slid across the ground. Great, biotics from a large distance, that meant Eclipse. Aria really did have it in for them if she had hired the Asari gang for this mission. On second thought, it was probably Tarak that paid them, Aria didn't actually want to kill Mand tonight. The two could deny it all they wanted but, Kal could see Aria and Mand had feelings for each other. However, his thoughts were thrown for a loop when a male Turian with blue eyes and dark gray armor stood over him.

The Turian's voice was cold and commanding, "Where is my brother? You have three seconds."

He hadn't actually seen Saren in his journey on the Normandy but, he recognized Saren Arterius standing above him now. Garrus watched a video recording of the pair at his military graduation for months after arriving on Omega. Kal wasn't sure how it was possible since he had been killed by Garrus but, there wasn't another explanation. All Kal knew was that if Saren was here, it definitely wasn't for anything good.

Kal luckily kept a hold of his shotgun in the fall, "Keelah you too?! The Blooys must be getting really desperate." He took a shot hoping to surprise him.

Saren ducked away from the poorly aimed shot and lifted him against a wall with biotics, "Two!"

Kal saw another Human sprinting down the sewer tunnel towards them and so, he took a shot over Saren's head at him, "Go to hell bosh'tet!"

The Human scrambled for cover avoiding the shot because of the distance before yelling, "Jesus lover boy, cool it would you?"

Saren snarled grabbing Kal's ankle and started twisting it, "I'm going to kill each and every one of you until you take me to my brother." He put his own pistol to Kal's faceplate with his free hand, "I believe that was one."

The Human yelled to Saren, "Freeze all motor functions! Put him down, he's not our enemy."

Kal groaned when he fell to the floor on his ankle, it was surely broken, "What the hell is going on here?"

He could tell Saren was fighting with himself, wanting to pull the trigger, "This filthy, idiotic, pawn of a Human thinks I can be controlled.." Saren looked at the Human, "I swear to the spirits that if you cause the death of my baby brother, I WILL break these restraints and end you."

The Human shook his head and approached Kal, "I didn't put that chip in ya amigo, I swear.. Names Arnold Vega, we're here to save you and Garrus."

Kal blinked staring up at Arnold, "Jack still has nightmares about Akuze. Why should I trust you?"

Saren seemed free to move about and stormed past Arnold, "Because we're the only ones that can get you out of my brother's mistake..."


	12. Chapter 11: Saving Archangel

The ride in the cargo shuttle to Archangel's base was a crowded one, with Jack and Jacob squished into the back seats. Jack still had to wonder how much chaos Archangel had to have caused to get all these people angry enough to volunteer to kill him. What brought Mordin Solus here was also a very good question, most doctors wouldn't enter a warzone for a vigilante. If The Illusive Man was right and Doctor Solus really was researching the Collectors, it could be possible that this Archangel also had valuable information on them. The freelancers surrounding them all started standing up, apparently they knew the ship was getting close to the target.

A Blue Suns mercenary stood in front of the door they were all going to be jumping out of, "Ok remember everyone, we just need all of you to charge across the bridge and keep Archangel busy. We suggest you leave actually killing him to the professionals."

The shuttle door opened and people started getting shot at the moment they saw Omega's city streets. Jack had been prepared for things to be messy based on the news coverage and what Aria told him but, this was a bloodbath. A mixture of Blue Suns, Blood Pack, and Talons bodies littered the boulevard stretching all the way across the bridge. From what Jack could tell, there hadn't really been any particular plan on either side to win the battle at this point, everyone was just throwing everything they had at each other and hoping that would be enough. If this went down to being just a numbers game, the three gangs were going to destroy them.

Curiously, the hail of gunfire seemed to spray mostly around them allowing Jack and Jacob to sprint out of the shuttle towards the bridge. Why wouldn't Archangel attack him like everyone else? Sure, the mercenary could've recognized him as the Commander Shepard but, that didn't change the fact that he was running out of a Blue Suns shuttle heading straight for the base. Maybe Miranda had gotten word to Archangel that they were coming? She hadn't known that herself having still been mysteriously absent so that explanation didn't make any sense either. This mercenary was just openly trusting Shepard wasn't coming there to harm him and was covering their approach.

As they ran, Jacob looked at him with a raised eyebrow, "What the hell is going on Jack?"

Jack wasn't sure feeling just as confused, "I don't know Jacob, just keep running. I'm sure whoever they are will explain everything when we're inside."

He felt a bullet fly by his earlobe from behind and looked back to see the remaining freelancers had caught on. Knowing Archangel could only take on so many mercs on his own, Jack spun around and started firing back at them. Since the freelancers were extremely ill equipped to handle a military engagement, Jack was shredding through them. The shots they sent towards him were bouncing off his palladium armor giving Jack an even bigger advantage. Jacob managed to get to the base's front door and started covering Jack for his own approach. As Jack turned around to start running, an explosion knocked him off his feet and he had to grab on to the street to keep himself from falling. Looking behind his shoulder, Jack saw the middle section of the bridge they had been running across was gone and was replaced with an explosion.

Jacob ran towards him and pulled him up from the ledge, "Looks like we aren't getting out the way we came, I'll call a shuttle in to pick everyone up."

Jack had to push Jacob to the side to avoid a shot from the other side of the bridge, "We have to get a lull in the fighting, otherwise we'll all be shot down."

A perfect sniper shot from the doorway took out their attacker and a female Turian yelled, "Get the hell in here before I have to come over there and drag your ass inside."

Jack couldn't help but have a smile knowing that voice well. When he found out that the Talons were in the middle of this mess he had wondered if Mandaria was still their leader, seeing her confirmed it. She looked like she had been through hell though with multiple badly covered bullet wounds and a small trail of blue blood going down the corner of her mouth. It definitely appeared as if she had been fighting without any sleep for far too long. Still, he was proud that she was handling herself so well, he must've done something right during the Blitz. His happiness faded when a bullet clipped her shoulder sending her back through the doorway. In retaliation, a sniper on the second floor of the base took out the latest attacker.

Mandaria groaned in pain taking a few blind shots, "What the hell are you doing here Jack?"

He tugged her through the rest of the doorway into cover despite even more gunfire coming at them, "I was in the neighborhood tonight and thought I'd stop by." He looked over at the new blood running down her shoulder, "How bad does it hurt?"

Mandaria gritted her teeth trying to keep her grip on the sniper rifle, "On a scale of one to ten? Fifty.. I'll be fine though Jack, just get upstairs, I'm sure Garrus could use the help."

Jack's heart skipped a beat, if Garrus was here that meant Kal was too. Archangel must've just been an alias that Garrus or Kal used so the gangs here couldn't use their identities against them. On the one hand, it was terrifying to think Kal was in the middle of all this but, it meant Jack could see him again a lot sooner than he originally planned. He was sure Kal was going to be angry Jack hadn't tried to tell him he was alive from the beginning but, they were going to have that conversation later. Now that they were going to see each other again, there was no way he was going to be able to prevent Kal and probably Garrus from coming with him to stop the Collectors.

Jack smiled at her, "You always knew where to find the most trouble didn't you? Don't worry, we're going to get everybody out of here." He looked over at Jacob, "Stay with her and call that shuttle anyways, we need to get out of here now. I'll get the others."

Jacob did as he was told and Jack started running around the makeshift living quarters to the stairs leading to the second floor. He noted a trail of Batarian blood leading up and around the stairwell before disappearing behind a locked door. If Mordin was actually here tending to the wounded, he would probably be doing it behind that door. Until the shuttle was actually here, Jack saw no point in disturbing his work. He went through the other door on his right instead and saw Garrus sitting on the edge of the front window sill. While he didn't appear to be as beat up as Mandaria, the Turian looked exhausted with his arms shaking, struggling to hold his Black Widow sniper rifle.

Garrus tapped into his comm, "They're retreating across the blockade on the other side of the bridge. I'd guess we're going to have a few minutes to breath and reload... How many did you get?"

Mandaria's pained voice groaned on the other end of the comm, "23 this hour... You've got company by the way."

Jack grinned at his old friend, "Garrus? What the hell are you doing here?"

The Turian didn't seem surprised to see him even though the galaxy thought he was dead, "Just killing mercs, it's nice of you to join me. There's plenty to go around." He spoke louder so Mandaria could hear, "Even after I got 35 of them this hour."

While Jacob was helping her get to the couch, Mandaria yelled, "You cheater! Your counting the auto turret kills, from the turrets I gave you!"

Jack walked over towards him and gave him a close hug, "It's good to see you again. You look tired, what do you say we get you out of here for good?"

Garrus sighed at the mention he looked tired and patted Jack on the back, "What can I say, killing mercs is hard work. Even with Kal's explosive talents for the bridge you ran across. I'm sure he'll be up from the basement in a few minutes... Then we can go."

Jack gave a weary look across the bridge worried mercenary snipers would attack at anytime, "I would've come sooner but, Archangel doesn't exactly scream Garrus Vakarian you know."

He chuckled while rubbing the back of his neck, obviously embarrassed, "It's just a name the locals gave me... for all my good deeds. I don't mind it, but please... it's just 'Garrus' to you. What are you doing here if your not looking for Kal or me?"

Jack turned to look back at him with a concerned glance, "I'm looking for Doctor Mordin Solus. From what I hear, he's researching the Collectors. Aria told me I could find him here."

Garrus was about to say something when an engine sound zoomed across the ceiling, shaking the room slightly. Jack's first thought was that the shuttle Jacob called in arrived way faster than he expected. However, when the ship flew over the building, Jack saw it was another troop transport from one of the gangs. Given the yellow and black paint job, as well as a symbol of a moon overlaping with a star, he could only assume these were the Eclipse. The ship continued on it's path across the bridge making Jack wonder if they had gotten lost somehow. A moment later though, Jack saw ropes falling from the roof over the windows, they were coming in from above them.

Just before they could start rappelling down towards them, Jack pushed Garrus to the ground, "Get down!"

The Eclipse mercenaries didn't hesitate and just started spraying bullets into the room hoping to kill anything that moved. Looking beyond the open stairway, Jack could see multiple Krogan were jumping through the skylight in the center of the base to land on the first floor. He needed to help Jacob and the injured Mandaria but, right now they were surrounded on three sides. Garrus got up from the tackle and immediately kicked his bed upright so they had some temporary cover, while Jack started shooting at the mercs trying to enter from the windows. The Salarians flipping into the room were fragile but quick, finding cover for themselves rapidly. Jack wished he could use biotics to knock the furniture they were hiding behind on top of them, unfortunately, he was just going to have to get lucky shots in before they did.

As the firefight continued, Jack was starting to worry about the sheer number of Eclipse soldiers flipping inside from the windows. It was probably enough men to challenge a small Alliance colony, let alone four people and two were already exhausted from fighting. Indeed, Jack wanted to just pin Garrus down to the cover they were hiding behind to prevent him from making the reckless shots he was making. While Garrus was admittedly still hitting his targets, he was sluggish getting back to cover so it was only a matter of time before he was hit. The door behind them suddenly opened and Jack saw a grenade flying over his head towards the Eclipse mercs. He braced for an explosion but instead, Jack saw a majority of them turned to ice, leaving the mercs extremely vulnerable.

Jack turned his head behind him to see a Salarian wearing a lab coat shaking his head, "Terrible to see so much death. Never want to be responsible. Had to do that though. Hope you find your paradise elsewhere." The Salarian looked at Jack, "It would be best if we split our attention between floors. We'd have a better chance of survival."

A roar from one of the Krogan's below them made Jack vault down the stairs without an argument. Mordin didn't seem like the type to just run away and so Jack could take his time to save the others. Jacob was busy shooting at the knees of several Krogan but, appeared to be holding his own for the most part, Mandaria wasn't so lucky. The Krogan she was dealing with had one hand holding her up by the throat while his other hand was trying to bury itself inside her latest wound to the shoulder. Jack was running to get behind them so he could be in shotgun range but, Mandaria was staring right at him and shaking her head rapidly. She didn't want him to go for the kill but, why? It was obvious she couldn't kill him on her own and she was in danger.

She spat in the Krogan's face, "Where's my sister you son of a bitch?! Tell me!"

The Krogan laughed at her with an amused expression, ignoring the question "You don't get to make demands anymore Mandaria. When you tried to kill Aria you lost her protection, now I get to do whatever I want with you."

Mandaria smirked looking back at Jack who was ready to fire, "I guess your right Garm. It's a good thing I have a friend right behind you ready to blow your knnecaps off if you don't answer my questions. Who took my sister? Where did they take her?"

Jack could tell this Garm was about to throw her over his head towards him when another shot rang out. The bullet pierced Garm's chest sending blood gushing all over Mandaria before they both collapsed to the ground. Jack spun around, ready for a fight but couldn't believe what he saw: Saren Arterius was standing there looking furious. Normally, Jack would've started shooting the instant he saw him but, Saren looked different. Not only was the Reaper machinery gone but also, his gray carapace was a shade lighter making him appear slightly more youthful. Those cold blue eyes were the same as when he first met him though, this had to be Saren no matter how impossible that seemed.

Saren glared at him but, the gaze didn't seem to have the recognition for Jack that it once had, "Come on Commander, it's time to live up to your legacy as the butcherer of Torfan. Help me kill the scum."

Before Jack could even think of a good answer, a Krogan lunged his own shotgun's blade at Saren. The Turian side stepped oozing with confidence, as if he was dodging a child, before using his pistol three times. Once hit the Krogan's neck, the second hit his chest and the third hit his opposite knee in quick succession. In the same fluid motion, Saren grabbed the Krogan's shotgun and used it to kill another Krogan that Jacob had been fighting. The Turian kept fighting and helping Jacob with the remaining Krogan. It was strange to watch Saren fight with this much grace, not relying on the biotic tricks he used to.

Jack killed a Salarian who was trying to sneak up on Mandaria while she was looking over Garm's body, "We here to go Mand. I promise I will do everything in my power to help you find your sister when we're safe. You hear me?"

She shook her head frantically tearing apart the armor, "No! No. He had to have gotten orders where to take her! Just... just give me another few seconds please! Come on spirits help me out here!"

A familiar voice from where Saren came from made him close his eyes, "You bosh'tet!" Jack turned around just in time for Kal to yank him into a kiss through his mouthpiece, those warm marshmallow like Quarian lips made his heart relax, "I watched the Normandy explode around you and I couldn't save you... I watched you... you..."

Jack pulled him into a very close hug not minding the glass visor squishing his nose, "I know. I'm so, so sorry, I'm here now though. You ok?"

Kal sounded as though he was crying, "I will be eventually once we're out of here. I've lost a lot of friends today."

A deep Human voice spoke behind him, "And Mr. Badass broke his ankle so I don't know how he's standing but, other than that love bird over here is just fine."

Jack recognized the sarcastic tone from long ago on the Everest when a single sniper shot pulled their attention to the middle of the room. Garrus was pointing his gun down at Saren having almost hit him in the foot. Not knowing anything about this Saren besides the fact that he didn't seem to have the Reaper's influence, Jack didn't know how to step in here. Saren was helping them but he didn't know why and so maybe it was best to let this play out. He just held onto Kal's side waiting for their shuttle to arrive.

Saren looked up at Garrus with a sad smile, "Was it really that bad then...? You automatically wanting to shoot me on sight? Spirits you've grown so much from what I remember."

Garrus' voice cracked as he looked to Jack, "What the hell is going on Shepard? This is a trick isn't it? A VI."

The other Human stepped infront of Saren, "It isn't a trick, trigger happy, Cerberus rebuilt him in case Shepard really was dead. Put the gun down and-"

Saren's eyes widened in fear shouting, "Garrus, LOOK OUT!"

An explosion from outside knocked everyone off of their feet and sent the room into darkness. Jack had instinctively shielded Kal with his armored body as parts of the building came down around them. That shuttle better get here soon, otherwise they would be easy pickings for the rest of the Blue Suns.


	13. Chapter 12: Under Pressure

Jack awoke to the familiar smell of medi-gel that had been frozen for too long. That was a good sign, he doubted the Blue Suns would've kept him alive as a prisoner. His mission on Torfan probably burned any desire on their part to take him in and so, he had to be on the Normandy. He opened his eyes slowly and saw this medbay was expanded massively with surgical equipment normally found in a hospital. The Illusive Man obviously didn't want his new shiny ship to be taken into permanent custody at a Council port. On the less cynical side, this new medbay meant that the entire mission wouldn't come to a grinding halt because of one injury.

The leathery, gloved, three fingered hand he so closely associated with Kal squeezed his own and the Quarian called out, "Hey doc, I think Jack's awake. I know you wanted to look him over."

When the doctor came around the corner, Jack was stunned to see Doctor Karin Chakwas standing there. As a member of the Alliance, he would've never assumed she would join Cerberus. They stood against everything the Alliance was supposed to believe in, so why was she here? Even though Joker had told him the team separated after his presumed death, Jack couldn't see any reason the Alliance would turn on her. It wasn't as if she joined them on ground missions back then and thus would know a lot about the Reapers. Regardless of the reason, Jack was definitely happy to see another friendly face and trusted her to treat him well.

She pulled up her omni tool and started to scan him with an orange light, "It's good to see you again Commander, especially in these strange times. How are you feeling?"

Jack smiled up at her only to squint when the light crossed past his eyes, "Better than my first time into your care that's for sure. I'm more worried about everyone else. What happened down there?"

Kal spoke up for her while Chakwas was busy looking at the results, "Aria decided to send a rocket on top of us from orbit to cut her losses. Luckily, Saren somehow saw it and protected all of us with a biotic barrier. Garrus got hit though, is going to be ok Karin?"

Chakwas seemed somewhat distracted closing her tool, "Hmm? Oh, yes everyone will be fine with some time. I have to say Doctor Solus' quick thinking on the ground probably saved Garrus' life. I'm looking forward to working with such an experienced professional. Your good as new Shepard, feel free to risk your life at your leisure. Now, I need to get back to tending to Ms. Nyx's wounds. I'm sure you two have a lot of catching up to do anyways."

Jack looked over at Kal feeling a little confused, "Ms. Nyx? Did Mandaria change her last name or did we rescue someone else too?"

Kal finally let go of Jack's hand to rub at his ankle, "She gave an alias, I think she's scared anyone not us would turn her in to Aria. There's already a three hundred thousand credit reward out on her head."

Jack gave him a concerned look, "What happened down there Kal? How did you get in trouble with all three gangs?"

The Quarian's opaque, shiny, blue shaded glass visor hid his expression while he seemingly stared off into space. He could tell the last two years weighed on Kal like an anchor, a lot had happened. Given that Kal probably spent most of these past two years on Omega, probably the majority of that time was bad. Maybe it was too early for Jack to ask that kind of question but, he just wanted to help Kal get through it. Looking down at the suit, he could see multiple slash marks that had been repaired with makeshift fabric. Since he was an exile, Kal didn't have the ability to get a fresh suit from the flotila and who knows how expensive they were to order in Council Space. Jack was going to have to pull some strings and get him a new one.

Kal finally looked down at him with a soft yet worried tone, "We can talk about it later, I'm sure you have things to take care of with Solus. I need a shower and food."

Jack sat up quickly and cupped the side of Kal's helmet, "I can always make time for you my cyar'ika. Are you sure you don't need to talk now?"

Kal grabbed the hand on the side of his face to his mouthpiece so he could kiss it, "Yeah I'm sure, I need to come up with what I need to say without... hurting us." He motioned towards the door, "There's a Human outside claiming he's Arnold Vega. I know from what you've told me about Akuze that doesn't seem possible so, I'd be careful."

Jack wanted first and foremost to reassure Kal that nothing he said would hurt them but, EDI cut in the intercom, "I've made several DNA scans to account for this inconsistency Kal. However, each test proves that the Human your referring to is indeed Arnold Vega. My only logical hypothesis is that Shepard was somehow mistaken and he survived the Thresher Maw attack."

He couldn't accept that was the actual answer, he had that nightmare enough times to know Arnold was devoured by the beast. With Saren walking around and fighting at the base, Jack could only assume Cerberus found a way to bring the dead back to the living. It seemed crazy, like something out of a science fiction novel but, there wasn't any other possible explanation. How powerful could Cerberus become having this type of power? The Alliance needed to know killing Cerberus' leadership wasn't going to be as easy as they may have thought but, Jack didn't know how to safely reach them. One thing at a time he reminded himself, the first thing he needed to do was settle the situation with Vega.

Kal got to his feet from the chair he was in and looked at the ceiling sounding confused, "Thanks for the input I guess...?"

EDI's blue glowing ball like appearance displayed on the projector next to him, "Your welcome Kal, I'm always trying to help the crew and morale. I also took the liberty of placing your recovered personal items in Shepard's cabin. I hope I'm not jumping to conclusions that the two of you will most likely sleep together?"

Kal approached Jack and kissed his forehead while he was getting shoes on, "There's nowhere I'd rather be. Come to the cabin when your done with Solus."

When Kal disappeared following EDI's instructions, Jack went to the mess hall and saw Arnold sitting alone waiting for him. It had been fourteen, no, sixteen years now since Akuze and Arnold had understandably changed. While his physical form could still be best described as hunky, he seemed more confident than he was back then. Jack had to wonder how long Arnold had been working with Cerberus, the uniform seemed to fit him a little too well. Back when they knew each other, Arnold was anything but xenophobic, he often flirted with any male that could move on shore leaves. Times changed people though, Jack would have to be careful around him. The Illusive Man could see Arnold as the perfect opportunity to quietly spy on him.

Arnold stood up with an outstretched hand and a grin on his face, "It's good to see you again Jack. I'm sure you have a lot of questions for me but, how's the love bird doin?" He pointed to where Kal had been walking a second ago.

Jack chuckled and shook his hand briefly, "A little shaken up I think, I know he'll be fine, he's just gone through a lot. How are you standing here though? I watched you get swallowed hole.."

Arnold looked uncomfortable and then pulled Jack off to the side into a shadowy corner of the mess hall, "I shouldn't be telling you this but, I never died Jack. Cerberus had a trap door where I was standing and...saved me. Akuze was all just one big experiment for them."

He knew he couldn't trust Arnold completely due to the circumstances but, that statement made a lot of terrifying sense. Jack had always wondered why the Thresher Maw hadn't killed them outright and had chased them instead. At the time, Jack just thought that the Maw was sentient and just playing with it's food. If Arnold was telling the truth however, it meant Cerberus had been pulling the beasts strings for their twisted little games. How did destroying entire Human colonies advance Humanities' interests at all? The Illusive Man was no better than the Collectors if he thought Akuze was an acceptable price to pay for scientific breakthroughs.

Jack's anger towards The Illusive Man was blossoming into a rage, "I'm going to confront someone about this and see what they have to say right now!"

Arnold grabbed his wrist to keep him from moving, "Hey wait, please... just don't do that loco. The Alliance has everything under control, trust me. I need you to stay quiet about this until my mission is over, ok?"

Jack started to understand and his mind raced, "If you have any control in when they take him down, I need you to wait until my mission with them is over. We can't afford to ignore the Reaper threat, and Cerberus are the only ones willing to listen."

Arnold rubbed the back of his neck and let Jack's arm go, "I'll do what I can but, I need you to work fast. The Illusive Man gets stronger by the day and the brass is getting worried. Stop the Collectors as soon as you can so we can end Cerberus, understood?"

Jack bit his lower lip, he not only had the Collectors plan to worry about, now he had a ticking clock counting down until he lost all his resources. "How much time do I have, realistically?"

Arnold gave him a sympathetic expression but shrugged, "Weeks maybe a little more. As soon as we can locate that culo's base, I'm leading a strike team inside to take his head. Like I said, you need to work fast..." He spoke louder as he started to walk away, "Good luck on your mission Jack, I'll be in touch soon."

Feeling a new sense of urgency, Jack started marching towards the briefing room. If The Illusive Man was taken down before their mission together was over, the Alliance would probably take him into custody as well for working with the terrorist group. In the time it would take for an inevitable trial to prove he was innocent, the Collectors could complete their plans for the Reapers and all kinds of hell would break loose. Jack needed Mordin Solus to have some answers, otherwise he was at square one again. The pressure was now on him from multiple fronts for results, this had to work.

He could already hear the Salarian's rapid fire voice in the room beyond, "Hmm. Didn't recognize any of you from area. Too well armed to be refugees. Also ship is state of the art. No mercenary uniform. Hired guns, maybe? Looking for someone? Yes! But who? Someone important. Valuable. Someone with secrets. Someone like me. Me. Looking for me. Why? Who are you? What do you want?"

Jacob was in the room with his arms folded, "How much do you know about Cerberus Doctor?"

Mordin started to pace back and forth, "Knows they attempted to cure Genophage. Was on Virmire, have the scars to prove it," The Salarian motioned towards what was left of his left cranial horn, "No knowledge of man behind it though. Anti-alien reputation obviously listed as problematic."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "I don't remember you on Virmire, were you part of the diversion team?"

Mordin gave him a smile but was always moving around the room, "Is quite understandable. You were busy getting proposed to as I recall. Also was part of bomb team. May have aggravated Urdnot Wrex. Was an unfortunate miscommunication. Still haven't answered my questions. Why am I here?"

Jacob seemed more than happy to get off the Virmire discussion as soon as possible, "The Collectors are abducting Human colonists out on the fringes of Terminus Space, The Illusive Man was hoping you knew something about them given your connections to the STG."

Mordin shook his head continuing to do slow laps around the room, "No, have been too busy on Omega. Retirement project. Can't be simple abductions though. Wouldn't need me for simple."

Jacob had a dark tone, looking worried, "Entire colonies disappear without a trace. No distress signals are sent out. There are no signs of any kind of attack."

Jack added grimly, "There usually isn't any evidence that anything nefarious happened at all... except that every man, woman, and child are gone."

Mordin tapped his chin and Jack could see the wheels in his mind turning, "Gas, maybe? No. Spreads too slow. Airborne virus? No. Slower than gas. Drugged water supply? No. Effects not simultaneous. Intriguing. Fascinating. No distress calls? No signs of resistance? New technology. Marvelously advanced. But what?"

Jack put his hands on the table watching him, "We have video surveillance footage from the latest colony hit, Freedom's Progress. It shows some sort of insect like drones freezing people so that the Collectors can take them to somewhere unknown."

Mordin seemed to perk up, "Do you happen to have a sample? Can't study from video alone."

Jacob frowned down at the floor looking defeated, "No, we couldn't stay long enough to search for the bugs themselves. We do have omni tool scans of them... as well as someone with possibly similar Collector tech inside them."

Mordin appeared as though he just received a Christmas present, "Patient plus readings will be good place to start. Will need a lab, place to work. Where are they now?"

Jacob gave them both a concerned glance, "You can both follow me, I think Miranda already has him in the lab. I'm going to warn you doctor, he might not exactly be.. the most polite patient you've ever treated."

Mordin waved his hand dismissively, "Was stationed on Omega for retirement. Think I can handle your definition of difficult patient."

Jack silently followed the pair lost in his own mind, this wasn't ideal. At least Mordin seemed to have a direction to go in but, it wasn't the slam dunk that The Illusive Man promised. It could take all the time Arnold was willing to get him just for Mordin to find a way to stop the seeker swarms from freezing them. That didn't solve the problem of knowing how to get through the Omega-4 Relay safely. He needed to stop worrying about three steps ahead and worry about his problem right now, time. He needed to give Mordin the time he needed to complete his research while also not taking too much time and get arrested by the Alliance for treason.

Saren's angry voice shouted from the next room, "And you brought me back anyways?! Who is to say I don't have remnants of the indoctrination still inside me? This was a foolish risk on your part! Why am I not surprised a Human would be the first to try and play God."

Miranda gave a cold reply, "We didn't play God Saren, we are God."

EDI's calm synthetic voice spoke as they entered, "We did not go in blindly Mr. Arterius, our main Reaper scientist, Doctor Chandana, had this to say," A male voice spoke through her blue orb, "Reaper indoctrination is an insidious means of corrupting organic minds, reprogramming the brain through physical and psychological conditioning using electromagnetic fields, infrasonic and ultrasonic noise delivered by nanomachines in the blood stream. The Reaper's resulting control over the limbic system leaves the victim highly susceptible to its suggestions. Organics undergoing indoctrination may complain of headaches and buzzing or ringing in the ears. As time passes, they develop feelings of 'being watched' and hallucinations of 'ghostly' presences. Ultimately, the Reaper gains the ability to use the victim's body to amplify its signals, manifesting as 'alien' voices in the mind. However, once these machines are removed from the victims blood, they return to normal. So far the only symptom I have seen is memory loss during the time a victim is effected."

Miranda greeted Jack with a nod but continued, "And for what it's worth, I wasn't in charge. The Illusive Man was. If I was running the show, we'd have done a few things differently."

Saren raised a browplate and folded his arms, "What kind of things exactly?"

Miranda shrugged innocently like they were talking over a friendly cup of tea, "To start, I would have implanted you with a more direct type of control chip. The type we could control exactly what you did on the battlefield. But, The Illusive Man wouldn't allow it. He was afraid it might affect your personality, alter your character somehow. He wouldn't let us do anything that might limit your potential in any way. The Illusive Man is taking an incredible risk with you. I just hope his gamble pays off."

Saren gave a snort shaking his head, "You phrase it as though Harp-"

Miranda cut him off, "Freeze all motor functions, what did we say about not using names Saren...?"

Jack couldn't help but feel a small sense of pity as the Turian obviously struggled to speak until whatever hold was lifted, "Fine, if I'm not a threat why don't you let me see my brother? I want him to see...me...when he wakes up."

Miranda looked over at Jack, "Because I'm not the Captain of the ship, Shepard here will decide if we should keep you aboard."

EDI turned to look at him before he could even think of what to do, "Shepard, while Saren has an obvious racial bias against Humanity, it is worth noting Saren's combat abilities exemplify everything a SPECTRE should be. Since he isn't indoctrinated and has a control chip restraining his worst impulses, I'd suggest we keep Saren on the ship. Ultimately however, the decision is yours to make, The Illusive Man can put his skills to use elsewhere if you wish."

No matter how badly he hated this decision, it was logically simple: he needed to keep Saren around. Mordin would need him for research and Saren could give helpful knowledge to the team where Reapers were involved. Jack had no idea how far Saren's memory loss went back but, he could probably explain how he and Sovereign met. The control chip was definitely a necessary component to this though, he didn't trust Saren to behave without it. It was a risk for sure, just one that could help them all in the long run.

Jack took a deep breath resigned to the decision he made, "You can stay as long as you let Doctor Solus examine you whenever he needs to."

Saren blinked stunned by what he said, "I... thank you Shepard. What do you need from me Doctor?"

Mordin smiled and motioned for Saren to follow him, "Just a tissue sample right now. Can collect in the medbay with your brother. Studies show being close to loved ones lowers pain receivers effectiveness."

As they walked out, Jack gazed to Miranda and Jacob, "Tell me if anything changes, otherwise I'll be in my quarters if you need anything."

Jack went to the elevator without another word, it was time to make things right with Kal.


	14. Chapter 13: Between a Fish Tank And a Hard Place

The elevator door swooshed open to a pretty clean room. When he had put his admittedly limited amount of personal items down in the cabin, Jack thought he would organize it later. However, another set of his casual Cerberus clothes were already on hangers when he arrived and his palladium armor rested on a stand. Kal must've made himself busy cleaning their living space while he waited for Jack to come back up here. He honestly couldn't think of a reason why Kal was worried something he had to say could hurt their relationship. The Quarian should know by now that Jack loved him with all of his heart, nothing he could ever say would hurt that.

At first, Jack assumed he missed Kal going to the mess hall for a bite to eat but, then he saw a trail of the Quarian's enviro-suit leading to the shower. Jack thought about quickly stripping from his clothes and trying to join Kal before ultimately deciding against it. Kal had just spent probably more than twelve straight hours fighting for his life, he deserved to have a shower alone. His curiosity got the better of him though as he approached the half open bathroom door and he looked inside. Kal was turned away from the door, allowing Jack to look at the former marine's purple muscular spine and his wide round doughy ass cheeks with a single ball dangling between his thighs. The water from the shower made his purple skin glisten and shine. Unfortunately, Jack's stomach twisted into a knot after seeing lots of faded scars on Kal's spine. Some of the scars were long and shallow while others seemed short but more defined suggesting they were deeper wounds. Jesus, he took a real beating on Omega, hadn't he?

Jack coughed at the door so Kal would know he was there, "Hey, I'm back if you need to talk about anything."

Kal looked over his shoulder with only slightly glowing eyes, "I'll be out in a minute, and your staring," He forced a joking smile before continuing, "It's my hair isn't it? I know you liked the blue but, coloring isn't exactly a priority on Omega."

In truth, Jack had been far too distracted staring at the network of scars criss-crossing his spine to look up. He quickly shifted his gaze upwards and saw Kal's thick, vine like, strands of hair had indeed changed to a chocolatey brown color. So that's what Kal's natural hair color was huh? Jack really liked it, the color reminded him of actual chocolate. The change seemed somewhat symbolic for Kal; gone were the days of rebellious freedom. It was time to get practical and serious, living two full years on Omega would do that to anyone. Luckily, it seemed like Kal could still make an occasional joke to lighten the mood.

Wanting to keep the light tone, Jack motioned to his own head, "I'm surprised you haven't pointed out my distinct lack of hair. I seem to recall you liked grabbing it in certain situations..."

Kal chuckled turning off the water and grabbed a towel, "Ehh, you'll grow it back, and besides.. You Humans are a bunch of hairy ignorant fools who can't tie their shoes right, remember? Hair is like your species' main trait."

Jack smiled a little and blushed remembering he used that line on Elysium. If he had to put a finger on it, the conversation they had in that small bar was the first time Jack made a move for something he personally wanted. Even though they certainly had their ups and downs, Jack would never regret taking him that drink. Now that Mandaria was on the ship with them, they were going to have to have a reunion of sorts, Jack owed his marriage to her proding and peer pressure. It felt like that was several decades ago instead of just five years ago. From Torfan to the Reapers so much had happened in that span of time, all of it heavy and overwhelming. He wouldn't have blamed Kal for forgetting his clumsy pick up line but, it must've stuck.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Ha, your supposed to forget the racist stereotypes I told you to make me look bad. How are you doing?"

Kal smiled and shook his head stubbornly, "You first, how did talking to Arnold go? What happened to him for all these years?"

Jack shifted his gaze for a moment not knowing what to say in case Cerberus was listening, "Apparently, he never died and someone staged Akuze for experiments."

Kal gave him a serious expression obviously concerned about all this, "Someone being Cerberus I'm guessing? Don't worry, I destroyed all the bugs in here so we could have our privacy."

Jack folded his arms trying not to seem just as worried, "Yeah it was, they wanted to test what a Thresher Maw could do to a colony and if they could control one. Arnold told me he was spying on them for the Alliance."

Kal laughed with a sigh, "I'm guessing that's not what your doing then? I was hoping that was the explanation for you working with these people. The same people that tortured children on Noveria and Krogan women on Virmire. These people aren't the good guys Jack."

Jack tried to keep a light tone despite where the conversation was going, "I know that but up until now I haven't had much of a choice. After the original Normandy exploded I was picked up by a rogue Cerberus cell who put me in cryo. Miranda was the person to wake me up and now we're working together to stop the Collectors."

Kal was pacing around the room wearing the towel, he had a suspicious tone, "Who told you it was a 'rogue' cell Jack? Them right? Did you consider the possibility they were lying and did all this just to use you?"

He realized Kal didn't know the extent of the situation he was in and needed some slack but, what else could he do? Of course Jack knew anything Cerberus said couldn't be completely trusted, he just didn't have a lot of options. Yes, he could blow off Cerberus' help and try to get the Council's assistance but, they both knew how that would go. The fact the Alliance wasn't investigating the disappearing colonies spoke volumes as to what they thought about the Reaper threat. It was either work with Cerberus or, try and fight the Collectors on his own. The stakes were just too high to not take every available resource for the fight.

Jack gave him a sympathetic smile and a defeated shrug, "I know all of that Kal... The Collectors are kidnapping and probably killing thousands of Humans on the edges of the Terminus Systems. I saw it on Freedom's Progress, it isn't a hoax. What I saw even triggered a memory of the vision I saw on Eden Prime which means Reaper involvement. Those people need my help and Cerberus are the only ones even looking at them."

Kal gave him a frustrated glance, "Have you even tried to reach out to the Council with that evidence?"

Jack gave a snort a little amused, "Really? You think they'd suddenly help now? Look, I don't want to fight you tonight, tell me how your doing."

Kal sat on the edge of their king sized bed with his towel wrapped around himself, "Scared what you'll say about what I need to tell you, nervous for Garrus' recovery, worried Mandaria won't be able to find her sister now. This is all just one big cluster cyar'ika."

Jack sat on the couch across from the bed with a calm expression on his face, "Let's take it one step at a time ok? What do you have to tell me that's so bad? It's most definitely not the worst news I've-"

Kal blurted out in a rambling tone, "I broke our marriage vows... A few months ago when I thought you were dead and I was drunk and it happened so fast and... I swear to Keelah herself it only happened once. He was a Batarian, a part of Garrus' team from the beginning. Please, I understand if you can't look past it but I'm so sorry. If I had known you were ok I would never have tried to hurt you... Your my soulmate Jack, I love you with everything I have in me but, you were gone and I was so..empty without you."

It seemed like Kal was going to just keep going so, Jack walked over to the edge of the bed and kissed him tenderly. He was sure to let his warm, wet, sweet tongue slip between Kal's lips so he could get a taste of the Quarian's fruity saliva. The sensations that came along with their tongues gently rolling around each other was something he had missed. Jack had to admit it wasn't what he was expecting him to say but, he wasn't upset with Kal at all. This situation didn't fit a harmful cheating scenario in Jack's eyes, he was basically in a fridge at the time and Kal thought he was dead. Rather than feeling angry, he was actually happy his husband had someone who cared about him and took care of him.

Jack broke the kiss slowly and cupped his cheek gently, "Kal, stop. There's a saying in Human marriages, 'till death do us part.' You did absolutely nothing wrong and I'm glad someone else was there for you when I couldn't be. Ok? I think nothing less of you."

Kal nipped his lower lip but looked down, "When a Quarian proposes to someone, it's supposed to be a forever sort of thing. This life, and the next, and the next for eternity. Our immune systems are usually so weak that it's meant as a comfort, whenever our physical form leaves we'll still always be with our loved ones. I was stupid and broke that bond in the heat of the moment."

Jack raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, "What if a Quarian's spouse doesn't think he broke their vow? I don't, and still want to be married to you, forever."

Kal's eyes lit up brightly and he teared up, "You have no idea how worried I was you would just want to leave me. Normally, we'd get remarried by an Admiral on the flotila. Since that isn't an option, I guess we wing it?"

Jack smirked and darted his tongue over Kal's upper lip, "I have a few good ideas how we could start..."

Without another word, Jack kissed him on the lips yet again. This time, his tongue didn't hesitate and dove into Kal's mouth searching for that tongue. While he should be sitting on top of Mordin for results on the Collectors, it could wait a few hours. His arms wrapped around Kal's bulky, smooth, wet shoulders so that he could cup the back of his husband's head to deepen the kiss. He had to start breathing through his nose because their lips were so smashed together that they made an air tight seal. Jack melted a little feeling Kal's own hot steamy breath rolling against his upper lip with each exhale from the Quarian's nostril buds.

He wasn't sure who was the first to get rid of the towel and toss it across the room but, soon enough Jack could feel Kal's dripping wet muscular body rubbing into his own. The Cerberus uniform was going to need to go in the washer after this, it didn't matter though that's why people cleaned clothes right? Jack could feel his own length hardening when he felt the heat from the hard smooth thick shaft of Kal's member rub into his belly. The Quarian broke their kiss and moaned deeply gripping his shoulders tightly. It wasn't all that often that Kal wanted him to take control so, Jack was going to jump at the opportunity. He let his own hands slide down the other man's sides before unzipping his pants.

It was Jack's turn to moan when his pants hit the floor and their stiff shafts collided in the open air. The contrast between Jack's veiny, hard, thinner, hairy Human cock and Kal's smooth, thick, rocket like, larger member made his knees wobble. Kal groaned in his ear and pushed his muscular, firm thighs forward with the force of a tsunami so their shafts would grind against each other slowly. Jack used his free hand to wrap around both of their lengths and started rubbing up to their tips and down to their bases. He was slow at first but the wonderful friction between them, and Kal's primal moans, encouraged him to pick up the pace pretty quickly. He could feel a drop of pre roll down Kal's length onto his own, it was hot and sticky. The wet feeling caused Jack's shaft to throbb and vibrate bouncing off Kal's member repeatedly.

Jack started to squeeze on both of their shafts on top of his other movements to really put the pressure on Kal. He could feel the edges of his own release on the horizon when his tip pressed into Kal's length with force from his hand jerks. Kal was busy literally yanking his Cerberus top off so they could finally have complete skin contact. The feeling of their fit, firm, warriors' chests coming together whenever they needed to breath made Jack feel like he was losing control. His skin was starting to sweat and his hand was starting to go up and down on their lengths without any rhyme or reason. Just as Jack's muscles were starting to get tense, Kal's hand pushed his away from their cocks.

He let out a frustrated moan with a huff, "Mmmph... What was that for Kally...?"

Kal was taking gulps for air and had a pleading, desperate voice as he kissed Jack's jawline, "I need you inside me Jack, take me tonight."

Jack nuzzled Kal's neck and whispered, "I thought you'd never ask."

Instead of pushing Kal back against the bed, Jack took the opportunity to reach up the Quarian's long legs and grab his wide hips. Maybe it was just an excuse to grope and knead the doughy, squishy, soft flesh but Kal wouldn't care in a few seconds. Jack lifted Kal by his ass making him feel as light as a feather before pinning him against the empty fish tank wall behind them. Kal was now trapped between the cool glass behind him, and Jack's warm muscular skin infront of him. Jack let his tongue dive into Kal's mouth yet again to soften the blow of the glass impact and distract him from what he planned to do next.

Knowing Kal's entrance would be very tight, Jack took one of his slick, sticky, warm fingers from the jerking and stroked around his entrance. Kal bucked his hips deeper into Jack's tight grip from the stimulation and moaned in his mouth. Jack slipped his index finger up to the knuckle into Kal and flexed the finger ever so slightly so that the Quarian could adjust. He felt Kal's finger nails dig into his shoulders and he broke their kiss to grit his teeth. The sight of Kal being the one at the mercy of his own movements was definitely a satisfying one. Tonight was a good reminder for Kal that he didn't need to take the lead everytime they did this.

Once he was satisfied that Kal was ready, Jack grabbed his ass cheeks and lined him up with his tip. Jack thought his knees were immediately going to give out from the sensation of Kal's tight ass surrounding and starting to swallow his length whole. They both moaned like wild animals as Kal slowly sank all the way down to Jack's base. Throbbs of pleasure ran down his back all the way back up his length causing Kal's asshole to stretch around him slightly. He was panting on Kal's shoulder over and over again trying to focus on keeping things slow so he didn't hurt him anymore than this already was. Those marshmallow like lips peppered Jack's neck with encouraging kisses and so he started lifting Kal back up his length.

Jack made sure they went on a slow, gentle, loving rhythm and was already close to going over the edge. The internal muscles in Kal's ass clenched and squeezed around his shaft while it throbbed creating competing vibrations between the two of them. He was trying with all of his determination to get Kal to climax first but, that feeling was just too overwhelming and he climaxed. Rope after rope of his hot seed spilled directly into his husband and they both tumbled backwards onto the bed. Luckily, a moment later Kal's tip swelled and he came all over both their chests making a mess of themselves. They were both going to need another shower in the morning at this rate.

Kal just cuddled into him sounding exhausted, "I love your ideas sweetheart..."

Jack chuckled dragging them both to a more comfortable position on the bed, "So, I'm guessing that fixes up our vows problem then?"

Kal was already starting to fall asleep but whispered, "It's definitely good enough for now.."

He too started to fall asleep overjoyed with the fact that he was with Kal again.


	15. Chapter 14: A Way Out

Jack woke up sometime later with Kal still clinging to his side asleep. The Quarian's bare arms were looped around his neck and his face nestled against Jack's beating heart. Kal looked happy and blissful sleeping next to him like this, he had to wonder how long it had been since Kal actually had a full nights rest. Having seen what it was like on Omega for everyday people, Jack could only assume that even when he was in Garrus' base, it wouldn't have felt safe to sleep. With that in mind, Jack carefully slipped himself out of Kal's tight grip and went in the bathroom to take a shower. Hopefully standing in the water would give him a lightbulb idea for what he should be doing next.

Once the door closed EDI's voice came through a private intercom, "Good morning Commander, Miranda wanted to inform you that she doesn't appreciate Kal going through ship systems."

Jack scoffed shaking his head annoyed that Miranda was implying Kal had sabotaged the ship, "I don't see listening devices as vital ship components EDI, anything else?"

EDI's voice stayed the same calm and collected tone despite his obvious irritation, "Fair enough, I will relay that response back to her office. Aria T'Loak has also sent the ship a message for you. Would you like me to play it back?"

Jack considered ignoring it while grabbing the soap bar but it couldn't hurt more than the missle she sent at them, "Go ahead and play it."

A moment later Aria's voice came through the intercom, "The scavengers picked through the remains of Archangel's base and only found a Batarian body so I'm guessing you made it out alive. You have a habit of surviving the impossible around me so I'm not exactly stunned, you've earned my respect... Listen, I know you don't owe me anything but, if Mandaria... Fuck it, just tell her to take care of herself and I didn't have anything to do with her little sister. Anyways, just keep Archangel off my rock and your free to travel through the Terminus, good luck out there Shepard."

The end of the message sent a wave of relief through him, at least that was one less thing he had to worry about. He hadn't even considered the Treaty of Torfan until right now. Despite not working with the Alliance right now, Jack was technically still a SPECTRE as far as he knew so, he was breaking the Treaty by going to Omega. Out of all the threats he had to deal with; the Collectors, a Cerberus mutiny, the Alliance arresting him for treason, he could take Aria off that list. He was tempted to respond and ask her why she had a change of heart but, it was better to not poke that bear and accept she was just in a giving mood.

EDI spoke after the message finished, "You may want to pass on to Ms. Nyx that I didn't detect any deception from Aria's claim. I can conclude with 95% accuracy that Aria had nothing to do with the disappearance of Sidera."

Jack let that sink in as he washed the top of his head out of habit, "Thanks EDI, tell Miranda we can discuss her concerns when I'm making the rounds and log out."

He was going to just keep quietly washing off when he heard Kal's voice yell, "Jack!"

Not knowing what was wrong, Jack ran out of the shower butt naked to see what the problem was, "Are you ok?"

When he rounded the corner everything seemed to be ok, no masked intruder had broken in to attack them. Then he looked at Kal and recognized the fear in his eyes, it must've been a nightmare. Kal was sitting perfectly straight on the bed, breathing heavily, and had a layer of sweat on his purple skin that wasn't from last night. Jack had the same frightening dream about Akuze for years before Kal entered his life so he understood. Omega must've given Kal plenty of memories to be afraid of. He just lost the majority of his friends for the past two years after all.

Kal put a hand on his forehead with a sigh, "I'm sorry... I was being really stupid there for a minute. I didn't see you in the bed with me when I woke up and I thought I was just dreaming that you came back to me."

Jack didn't mind the temporary cold air against his wet skin and marched over to kiss Kal on the forehead, "Your more than welcome to pinch me if you want. I'm real Kal, you don't have to worry about it."

Kal pressed their foreheads together and smiled, "Ok, would you wake me up whenever you get up please? Just, for awhile so I don't have a panic attack like that again."

Jack grinned trying to tease him, "Your going to get annoyed every time I wake you up to go to the bathroom but, sure I can do that. Any other requests cyar'ika?"

Kal laughed for a few seconds, his eyes glowing brightly, until his expression became serious, "Come to the Citadel with me, try and get through to the stubborn ass Council one more time. If your right and they won't listen, we have to work with Cerberus. If they listen though, let's work with them instead."

If only Kal knew how often he debated this issue in his mind, he made it sound so easy. Unfortunately, Jack already knew what the Council was going to say, he only had circumstancial evidence and thus couldn't act. Even though he had direct video footage of the Collectors kidnapping Humans on Freedom's Progress, he only had his vision connecting them to the Reapers right now. If the Council was already willing to ignore the Prothean vision the first time around, they weren't going to listen to him now. Then even if they could be persuaded, he still had the problem of getting onto the Citadel without being arrested for treason.

Jack cupped Kal's cheek and gave him a small smile, "Even if we could get there in one piece, what am I going to be able to tell them that I haven't already said? They won't listen to me and would probably lock me up for working with Cerberus."

Kal smirked with a twinkle in his eye, "I already contacted David Anderson and he swore he'd get us in and out if things go bad. And you don't have to do any of the talking this time, let Saren do it for you."

A lightbulb turned on in Jack's head, of course! Sure, the Council could ignore and deny his warnings all they wanted, he was a relative newcomer to the SPECTRE branch. However, Saren had been their best agent back before he was indoctrinated. If he had even the smallest memory of interacting with Sovereign, the Council would have to listen to him. It seemed like such an obvious solution once Kal said it, but he had only thought of Saren as an enemy until now. This could also solve the problem of needing to defeat the Collectors before Arnold made a move on The Illusive Man, he wouldn't need Cerberus anymore. He would still have to convince Saren to work with him on this but, now that Sovereign's indoctrination was gone, Jack hoped the Turian would see this as the best way to protect the galaxy.

He kissed Kal on the cheek with a grin, "I love you so much," Jack grabbed his omni tool and turned it on, "Joker, set a course for the Citadel. We have some old friends to see."

Joker's tone started rather cheery, "Aye, aye Comman... It's locked down Shepard. This stupid pop up is telling me we can't go there. No, I don't want whatever your selling."

EDI chimed in through the room's intercom, "It isn't an ad Jeff, due to the danger to the mission involved with a Cerberus vessel attempting to dock on the Citadel, The Illusive Man put a lock on that destination. I can request to schedule a meeting with him if you'd like to challenge his decision?"

Jack was quickly getting dressed and watched Kal do the same, "Get it as soon as possible EDI, we have a meeting to attend soon."

EDI paused for just a few seconds, "... Acknowledged, I marked the request as a mission priority. I would expect The Illusive Man will be ready to take your call in the next twenty minutes in the conference room."

Jack nodded to himself processing his thoughts, "We'll be there EDI, thank you."

Kal patted him on the shoulder, "I'll be right behind you, once this hard part is over it'll be smooth sailing and we can get out of this mess."

Jack took his hand and walked him to the elevator, "Let's make sure Saren is actually onboard with your little plan before we throw a fit shall we?"

The medbay was dimmed and very quiet as they slowly stepped inside knowing Saren would be here. Sure enough, at the end of the row of medical beds, Saren was wrapped in a blanket watching over Garrus. Jack felt a pang of sorrow seeing his best friend unconscious with the left half of his body covered in medi-gel pads from head to toe. While his vitals seemed solid from what he could tell, Garrus definitely didn't look good and that concerned him. He had to admit though it was very strange to see so much fear and compassion in the eyes of someone he had only known as a mass murderer. This Saren may have still hated Humanity but, he was a different person under that mask.

Kal gulped and spoke in a soft tone, "How's he doing?"

Saren tried to give a detached clinical tone while refusing to look at either of them, "Fourty-five percent of his body was burned with the napalm strike. His carapace protected his organs but, he'll always have the scars on his face. The scars I caused him to have."

Jack sat across from him trying to get eye contact, "This isn't your fault Saren, you did everything you could to save him down there. You aren't some kind of god that can stop napalm."

Saren glared at him with an expression of contempt Jack knew all too well, "He wouldn't have even been on Omega if it wasn't for me Shepard! He wouldn't have been ignored by his blood family if it wasn't for me framing him. He-"

Jack took a deep breath expecting a punch but finished his sentence, "Garrus wouldn't have been the one to kill you if I hadn't accepted his help. I used him because I thought he could get to you, force you to make a mistake. I'm sorry, but we have to..move on from our mistakes or they'll consume us. It wasn't really your fault either, at that point Sovereign was basically controlling your every action. Garrus going to Omega is on me, not you, not the real you anyways."

Saren seemed to have been preparing to yell an insult at him but froze when he said he was sorry. It was almost as if Saren had never met a Human who was willing to accept responsibility for anything or have compassion towards him. He could see Saren's emotions change from anger to contemplation as he fidgeted in his chair. Jack hadn't just said that to calm Saren down either, he really did feel partly responsible for what happened to Garrus. Despite the Turian's bravado, he should've known Garrus wasn't actually ready to kill the man who raised him and loved. Who would've been ready for that kind of mission and not have emotional trauma afterwards?

A groan from the bed between them cut Saren off, "Ugh..this definitely isn't how I pictured the spirit realm. I know I wasn't exactly an angel but this amount of pain seems uncalled for."

Saren's mandibles fluttered and looked down to see a single ocean blue eye looking back up at him, "Spirits your awake, Garrus just hang on I'm going to get a doctor."

Kal was already starting to move, "You look comfortable where your at, I'll go get her."

Garrus' voice was a harsh whisper as he called out, "Kal, is Erash, Lantar, any of them...alive?"

Kal turned around and looked at his vital signs to make sure he was good enough to handle the truth, "Just me and Mand.. Mordin made sure it was painless for the others."

Garrus stared up at the ceiling looking a little numb before eyeing Jack and Saren, "I'm guessing only one of you is the Lazarus Project then?"

Saren gently touched his good arm, "You shouldn't talk right now brother, your vocal cords-"

Garrus interrupted him, "Are a little fried but still func-" He entered a coughing fit, "working.. You can't just act like nothing..mhhgnn...nothing happened the last time we saw each other."

Miranda entered the room without warning followed by Kal and Chakwas, "Jack, Saren, The Illusive Man is ready to see you both."

Saren didn't move but glared up at her, "I'm fine where I am thank you very much. Shepard can rep-"

Miranda had an impatient tone, "Command order 227: stand up and follow me."

Jack had to admit it was a little terrifying to watch Saren's body respond to the control chip like he was a Geth. His normally flexible joints started moving robotically and obviously against his will. Seeing the silent expression of rage on Saren's face made Jack feel uneasy. This was probably going to be the most uncomfortable business meeting he was ever going to have to go through.


	16. Chapter 15: Remembering Shanxi

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay everyone, a little something called the witcher 3 decided to enter my new Xbox one x...

Saren wanted to yell or scream, do anything to show his raw disgust at being controlled like this. He knew that he needed to pay for the sins he had unknowingly committed but, he didn't know that the spirits were always this cruel. The Human pawn for Harper claimed they wanted him to be 'himself' and yet they were using a control chip to drag him away from what he loved most. His feelings for Garrus caused him to make his deal with Sovereign in the first place, like any good Turian, family was what defined him. How could he possibly be 'himself' if Harper took that ability away from him? The Human probably saw this as just a continuation in their twisted cycle of revenge that kept going and going, maybe he even found it ironic that Saren had traded one master for another. All Saren could do was swear to the spirits that once he found a way to get out of this control, he would choke the life out of this 'Illusive Man' once and for all.

While he would've loved to make the chip his top priority now, Saren felt Garrus was more important. If he was to try and find a private moment to just yank the blasted thing out of his head, they would surely quit treating Garrus' many serious injuries. Injuries that he still couldn't help but feel mostly responsible for, despite what Shepard said. Even after the immediate treatment was finished, Garrus would probably want to stay here and help Shepard defeat the Reapers. It wasn't like that was a bad goal or something but, here wasn't the place to do it. Cerberus would always be a threat to his safety no matter what Shepard tried to do for them both. Shepard was only given the illusion of control over the mission, Harper was the one who really ran the show, like always.

Shepard's raised voice caught his attention as they walked away from the medbay, "Was that really necessary? Saren didn't have to be a part of this meeting and you know it."

He continued to be surprised at the way Shepard wasn't like the majority of his kind. He took a pro alien, pro cooperation approach to most issues and yet it still amazed Saren. The Human was taking a terrible risk by just letting him stay on the ship even after the Citadel but, he had done it anyways. Shepard actually took responsibility for his part in Garrus' injuries, and he was sticking up for him now. It was probably the Turian blood pumping through his veins Saren had decided, Human's on their own weren't naturally like this. He wondered if his Turian father had the courage to reach out to his son at any point, given the fact that the Hierarchy wasn't in political chaos, probably not.

Miranda took a calm yet icy cold tone that reminded him of his own in his worst moments, "I don't know, was it 'necessary' to go behind my back and request this meeting in the first place? Or how about Kal ripping apart the Captain's Qua-"

Shepard interrupted her, "So your trying to tell me you didn't install listening devices in my room?" When she said nothing he continued, "That's what I thought, maybe I like having a room with some privacy. Regardless, I was talking to EDI and she forwarded the request. I didn't think I had to ask you as well who I can talk to on my own ship."

She turned her head away from him and kept walking forward, "Fair enough Shepard, next time you want to have a conversation with The Illusive Man you should run it by me. It's my job as Operative to relay concerns you may have, I would hope you don't continue to undermine the chain of command."

A female synthetic voice spoke through the intercom, "I apologize Ms. Lawson, I was only trying to reduce your work load as per my functioning."

Miranda took a neutral tone, "It's alright EDI, just change your programming so that all crew requests are forwarded to my desk."

They entered what had to be the conference room and Saren noticed holograph projectors flickering to life. Once the door behind him closed, the room's lights faded away and the projectors illuminated the walls with a soft orange glow. It was incredible to watch the entire room melt away and be replaced by what had to be the interior of a space station. Interstellar communication had certainly come a long way since Humanity first entered the galactic stage. He remembered the struggles of trying to reach out to Garrus on the Citadel when he was near the edges of known space. Giving the new room around him a quick glance, Saren wasn't too surprised by how theatrical it appeared. Harper was always trying to make himself more important than he actually was and the view of a dying supergiant star behind him only enforced that belief.

The Illusive Man's projection stood in the middle of the room, "Shepard, I answered your request as fast as I was able. Has Mordin already come up with a way to stop the Collector seeker swarms?"

If Saren hadn't seen the holograph projectors before they activated, he would've assumed Harper was directly in front of him and attacked. The smugness, the arrogance, and the aristocratic attitude he was known for came off stronger than ever even with probably millions of lightyears away. Saren also observed Harper refused to meet his gaze or acknowledge his presence, a common interrogation tactic to make your subject feel less about themselves. However, he knew it was actually because Harper was afraid of him after Klendagon. The punches he had thrown over and over again, it had felt so good to blind the man that had taken everything from him on Shanxi.

Fourty-three years ago, Shanxi:

_o0o_

The winds from the radiation still whipped across the surface of the once beautiful Turian colony a month and a half later. He should've paid better attention in class during the discussion on planet destroying weapons. If Saren had been weak, he would've fallen over, even with the biohazard suit firmly attached to his form. Luckily, Desolas drilled into him the importance of being strong even in the face of adversity, never give up. It would be the only way to maintain the Arterius name in the eyes of the Hierarchy his brother stated constantly. So, Saren kept pushing his small legs forward towards the distress signal his brother had activated.

Saren had been excited when he heard the news from the school's principal that the war with the newcomers, the beings behind Relay 314 was over, it meant Desolas could come home. The days ticked by and there still had been no word from his significantly older brother about his return. The teachers at the school told him that the 25 year old must've just run off and found some girl from his unit to have a family with. Even though he had only just turned ten, Saren knew that was ridiculous, Desolas wouldn't leave him for some icky lady. They were the family unit and his brother would never had left him without saying a word. After a week and a half of waiting, Saren stole a gun from the armory, a biohazard suit, and Professor Laviticus' ship so he could track Desolas here.

Shanxi, the first and only Turian colony to be hit by the filthy aliens. He had to wonder why the Council hadn't done more to punish these intruders for making one of their worlds radiated for the next hundred years, wasn't that illegal? Of course it was but, the Council believed they had punished them enough by halting their military production. He was also worried for Desolas, why would he still be here when the war was over and the Hierarchy abandoned the planet? Saren didn't have a good answer for that so, he focused on walking towards the tall building that had been pinging Desolas' distress signal. The building itself must've been a nuclear fallout shelter since it was the only thing standing for miles around. 

The door opened and Saren staggered inside, "Des? This isn't funny Des, quit playing hide and go seek so we can go home! I have a test to do tomorrow.."

Silence answered him and so, Saren clicked the safety off of the overly large weapon in his small hand as he slowly walked forward. While the room had sheets and blankets for Turian survivors scattered around, none of the Turians were there. What happened to them? His gut tensed with fear when he saw a trail of dried blue blood leading to another room, oh no. Saren ran as fast as he could after the trail pleading with the spirits for Desolas' safe return. They had already stolen his parents in the ship wreck, wasn't that enough? The room beyond made the entire world stop, Turians were hanging on racks like farm animals. Their plates had been torn off exposing vital organs to the open air.

Towards the back of the room he heard gibberish from a Human, translators hadn't caught up for everyone yet, "Damn, look at this ones dick! I'm glad we got him so he can't steal any of our women back home!"

Another unknown voice replied, "Maybe we should take a picture? You know like when you brought that fish picture you caught Ryder!"

Saren thought he was going to cry, these two Humans seemed to be celebrating over the corpse of Desolas. His guts were everywhere and his usually warm, green, friendly eyes were lifeless staring blankly into space. The carapace that had made up his brown protective plates were all over the floor, tossed casually like it was trash. The pain Desolas must've endured before his death overwhelmed Saren with a pure violent rage. Turian's would've never have done this to them, it wasn't a honorable death. Now these fools thought they had the right to pose in front of his body with that expression on their face?! Not thinking about the consequences, Saren pulled the trigger on his weapon but it missed, the gun was too big for him.

The first Human spun around grabbing his weapon, "Jesus, looks like we missed one. Good thing I saved my ammo."

The one known as Ryder replied, "The wars over and that's just a kid. Put the gun down Gilbert or we'll start another war right now."

A third voice spoke up from behind him, "Your right, we can't shoot him but we can't just leave him here either. Put him on a rack with the others, it'll be a good opportunity to study the differences in anatomy."

Ryder's eyes widened, "Jack, what are you saying? You want us to kill a kid? He obviously doesn't know anything important."

Jack lit some sort of paper stick and placed it in his mouth, "We can't take that risk Alec. Imagine your wife and children growing up without you. Gilbert, would you do the honors?"

Saren tried to run but was grabbed by the fringe and hooked to the wall. He kicked, screamed, and tried to bite wherever he could just like Desolas taught him. It was terrifying to watch the Humans start grabbing bloody tools to cut him with, he was going to experience the same pain everyone else here had. Then suddenly, flashing red and blue lights flashed outside the window, help had arrived. The three Humans quickly disappeared leaving him alone in a room full of dead Turians.

_o0o_

Present day:

Shepard took a deep breath, "No he hasn't, I'd like to go to the Citadel and reach out to the Council for support, I'm still a SPECTRE after all."

The Illusive Man paused regarding him, "The Council hasn't changed their position on the Reapers Shepard, what makes you think they'll change their minds now?"

Saren cut in, "He has me now, thanks to you, they'd have to listen to us both."

Harper finally let his robotic gaze land on him, "I was under the impression Reaper indoctrination erased the person's memory. How will the Council know your not just repeating Shepard's lies?"

Saren thought carefully about what he should say, it was up to him to make sure this meeting happened. While he didn't have any recollection of talking with Sovereign, or the beacon on Eden Prime, Cerberus didn't know that for certain. If he could make up a convincing enough story for the Council, Shepard wouldn't need to work with Cerberus anymore. It was probably the only way to keep Garrus safe and out of Harper's grasp, that was the most important thing Saren could do. He would feel safe getting rid of the blasted control chip once he knew they couldn't touch Garrus.

With that in mind, Saren kept the best diplomatic tone he could, "I still have fragments of Sovereign controlling my mind, making me do things I didn't want to do. Combined with Shepard's testimony I think the Council will have to see reason."

Harper shrugged and started walking back to his chair, "If you think you can convince them, by all means. Just remember, this isn't the same Council that granted you SPECTRE status Saren, times have changed."

Miranda looked between them like she couldn't believe it, "I'd like to make it known I'm against this plan. The risk to our crew could be astronomical if this goes south. If Shepard turns on us, we're done."

Harper knocked back a shot of orange alcohol, "How about a compromise then? Kal will stay on the ship during the trip, same with Garrus obviously."

Saren scoffed folding his arms, "I see your still not below taking hostages to get your way. I wouldn't treat them the same way you cared f-"

Miranda spoke up, "Freeze all motor functions. What you call hostage taking I'd call insurance. We aren't going to hold them at gun point while your gone, this is just a precaution."

Shepard gritted his teeth, "Anything else you want to add to the deal? Maybe I buy you a new business suit to give you some variety?"

Harper shook his head, "Just be ready to answer my call when I need a favor. I'll contact our partner on the Citadel, she'll get you in and of Citadel security without questions asked. Good luck Shepard."

The conference room came back into focus and Shepard looked at him, "Thanks for backing me up, let's see if the Council is in a good mood."


	17. Chapter 16: Ah Yes 'Reapers'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy early N7 day!

Jack knew that couldn't have gone any better realistically but, he had been more hopeful. The compromise The Illusive Man had come up with to keep him on good behavior only created problems if the Council was actually willing to help. He was optimistic Saren could talk some sense into the Council, however, the more realistic side of his brain was telling him they would just find someway to deny what he said. Also, seeing Jack and Saren seemingly back from the dead due to Cerberus might be enough to get the Council to ignore them. Cerberus was a terrorist organization that was already responsible for the genocide of billions on the Migrant fleet alone, would the Council really act on intelligence coming from them?

Kal was pacing around the medbay door nervously watching as he approached, "So? Where are we headed?"

Jack gave him a half smile, "The Citadel, The Illusive Man insisted you and Garrus have to stay on the ship though. She's worried I'm planning on turning against this little merry band we have going."

Saren cut in standing next to them, "How's Garrus doing? What did the doctor say about his health?"

Kal turned to him sounding concerned, "He'll live but he definitely took a bad hit. He has a million questions about what's going on and you but, Karin sedated him again so he wouldn't ruin his vocal cords. Let me worry about him while your gone alright? He was my CO for two years, I care just as much about him as you. How are you going to get on the Presidium? Anderson was expecting me and Jack."

Just as Jack was about to explain that The Illusive Man apparently had an agent just waiting for this kind of situation, Mandaria spoke up behind them, "Basically? I know a girl that owes me a favor. It just so happens she also needs something from Cerberus."

Turning around to look at her, Jack was very surprised by the transformation she made to her appearance. He had always seen Mandaria wearing dull dark colors with a hood so she wouldn't draw attention to herself, now she was wearing bright red and blue combat armor. She also had purple facepaint going from her mandibles on either side of her face all the way up to the center of her forehead. The cultural significance wasn't lost on him, she had been what was known as a bareface because she wasn't part of a Turian family. He had a feeling she came up with that paint style herself just so she would look different and have a family.

Kal folded his arms over his chest, "You can't be serious... She might've given the mercs blueprints to Garrus' base. How can we trust her exactly?"

Mandaria looked between Kal and Saren for a moment, "I think we both really know who ratted us out Kal. Besides, like I said she needs something from Cerberus, she isn't going to jeopardize that."

Jack raised an eyebrow feeling confused, "I'm a little lost here remember? Who are we talking about exactly?"

Mandaria gave him a sympathetic look, "She's known as Kasumi Goto, she's a.... specialist you could say. A saboteur and a damned good thief." She approached him with an outstretched hand, "And you can call me Vetra Nyx, it's an honor to finally meet you Commander."

Jack shook her hand but gave her a smirk, "You know that's going to be hard to get used to right Mand?"

She shrugged innocently before letting go of his hand, "I don't know what you mean, you couldn't possibly be talking about the Turian sniper with a three hundred thousand credit bounty on them. It's better we both just get used to this so we don't have bounty hunters following the Normandy every hour."

Kal sounded rather surprised, "Your staying with us? I thought you'd be running as fast as you could to find Sid."

Her mandibles fluttered for a few seconds and she looked disappointed, "I still am looking for her but, I don't have any leads and figure I'm safer looking here then on my own ship..."

Jack gently gave her a hug, "I'm so sorry about your sister M...Vetra, you better tell me if there's something I can do to help. I mean it, anything."

Jacob's voice came from behind them, "Welcome aboard Vetra Nyx, I'm afraid the tour is going to have to be later. Our contact is sending us docking codes...to the CSEC outpost in the Zakea Wards. Do you think it's a trap?"

Vetra let go of the hug and shook her head with a laugh, "No, Kasumi's definitely good enough to get us past a random CSEC checkpoint, she could probably do it in her sleep."

Jack certainly trusted Vetra with his life, she saved him plenty of times during the Blitz, but he would be lying if he said that didn't worry him. He already had enough problems trusting Cerberus, was it really a good idea to add another thief into the mix? Especially one who Kal seemed to think betrayed him and Garrus to the gangs on Omega. CSEC would surely notice two supposedly dead SPECTREs who had been all over the news walk in no matter how lazy the checkpoint was. The problem with that was he didn't want to be detained by the authorities when he should be hunting the Collectors. There weren't any alternative options though so he was just going to have a leap of faith.

Saren looked back at Kal as they started walking away, "Take care of him while I'm gone."

Jack waved in Kal's direction from the elevator, "Wish me luck cyar'ika, I'm going to need it."

The door closed leading to an awkward silence, the four of them didn't really have anything to talk about. Luckily, it opened quickly and they were outside on a Citadel dock soon enough. Jack felt like nothing had changed here in the two years he was frozen away. Tourists still took pictures of everything they could, wowed by the sheer size of the station and regular civilians ignored them. No wonder the Council felt like doing nothing against the Reaper threat, everyone here just seemed to have forgotten Sovereign attacked this place two years ago. Hell in an atmosphere as care free as this one, Jack was even a little tempted to write everything off he had seen as a nightmare.

The one large change he spotted right away though was security. Anyone looking to get out of the docks and onto the Zakea Ward proper had to pass through a heavy militarized CSEC checkpoint. From this angle at the back of the line, Jack could see a person getting scanned, searched, and scanned again. If this was because of the Geth attack, Jack felt like it was a waste of resources. Geth were usually pretty easy to spot with their flashlight heads and robotic bodies. Joking aside, he suddenly understood why Jacob was worried about coming this way, a Cerberus terrorist would get snatched up pretty quickly. Jack started to worry even more as they were getting closer and closer to the front of the line without any sign from Kasumi. 

Jacob even coughed a little and hit Vetra in the side with his elbow, "I think your friend may have just abandoned us to get locked away in CSEC prison."

A voice came from the ceiling, "Your too pretty to get locked away." A woman suddenly appeared just in front of them in line, "Commander Shepard huh? I was expecting someone a little more beefy like your friend over here. Kasumi Goto, at your service."

Saren raised a browplate, "Stealth field generators aren't going to get us through the checkpoint. So, unless you have another idea, I think Cerberus needs to hire a better, more infamous thief."

Kasumi seemed irritated by him but had a cheery tone, "I'm the best thief in the business, not the most famous. So why don't you just follow me and see a pro in action?" She marched right up to the first CSEC officer at the checkpoint, "Hey Taryn, me and my friends here need to see Bailey, I'll make it worth your time."

Remarkably, they were allowed to walk through past the first set of scanners directly into the CSEC office. Jack wished Garrus was with them now to help navigate what was happening here but, Kasumi seemed to know exactly where she was going. Well, corruption inside CSEC must've been at an all time high if two dead SPECTREs, a Cerberus agent, Balak's killer, and the best thief in the galaxy could all walk in without batting an eye. He had to wonder what Kasumi had on everyone in the room if this was the kind of response they were getting. If Executor Pallin was still around he would've fired everyone in here and arrested them all himself.

Kasumi approached a blonde middle aged Human man sitting at his desk, "Bailey, long time no see! I certainly hope your having a good day, me and my new friends here need to get to the Human embassy as soon as possible."

He looked up at her and sighed shaking his head, "I wish I could say this was the strangest request you've had for me this week Kasumi.... Commander Shepard, SPECTRE Arterius, I see the problem immediately. The entire galaxy thinks you've been dead for the past two years." He looked at Vetra, "And your part of the reason I lost my last job."

Vetra took a deep breath biting her lower lip, "Luna base, you were the Captain to detain me. What gave me away if you don't mind me asking? Facepaint too thick or something?"

His gut tensed in fear, Vetra was right, this was the Captain in charge of security at Luna base. Originally, they had been expecting to just hand over Balak and leave but, when he mysteriously died, Vetra had been implicated. Looking back, Jack realized it was all just a giant ruse so Miranda could steal EDI from the facility. In fact, Jacob was probably the real killer in that whole fiasco, he had motive and opportunity. The aftermath must've surely made Bailey look like a total failure for security. He could only hope something like that wasn't enough for Bailey to want to arrest them all but, he was worried.

Kasumi spoke up for him, "DNA flakes I'm sure, you can't cover those up with a little makeup and a fancy outfit."

Jack felt the need to step in, "Look, Bailey is it? I'm sure it's really tempting for you to just arrest us all on sight, it would probably be the highlight of your career but, I'm asking you not to. I'm here right now to talk to the Council about the Reapers, they're coming back, and in greater numbers."

Kasumi added with a playful smirk, "And if you do the right thing I'll make it up to you. Your anniversary is coming up right? How about two tickets to the Elcor Hamlet?"

Bailey paused for a moment, "Normally, you'd all have to fill out paperwork with the Citadel's IRS, faking your death is a pretty common tax evasion." He pressed a button under the table, "However, I just bypassed all of that for you, welcome back to the Citadel Commander. And keep the tickets Kasumi, the last thing I need is to sit through a three hour play with my wife."

Kasumi kissed him on the cheek, "Your the best Bailey, I promise I won't be back for awhile. Come on everyone, let's get to the Presidium."

Once they were all out of earshot, Jacob whistled at Kasumi, "Damn your good, I thought we were done for. Ever consider staying here to rob stuff? With those kinds of connections to CSEC you could make a killing." 

Kasumi shrugged while heading towards a shuttle taxi, "I thought about living here for a while handsome, but everybody's so tight-ass. I do what I do for the love of it. The more popular people in my profession do it because they don't know any better." She opened the shuttle door, "After you Commander."

The five of them entered the autopiloted ship and watched their progress towards the Presidium. Jack looked out the back window occasionally to make sure CSEC wasn't actually following them now. It would've been very easy for Bailey to pretend to let them go only to arrest them all later. However, as they got closer and closer to the Presidium, there still wasn't any sign of CSEC anywhere. Now all he really had to worry about was convincing the Council the Reapers were real. It didn't help his fears that most of the convincing was going to come from Saren, someone he didn't have any control over. All the possibilities of everything that could go terribly wrong was running through his head right now.

Kasumi turned to him with a curious look in her dark eyes, "So, what do Quarians look like under those suits? Are they scary or something?"

Jack coughed and laughed at the same time, amused by the question, "Excuse me?"

Kasumi gave him an eye roll, "Oh come on, everyone saw the vid of you kissing your honey by the wreckage. What's he look like? Come on, give me details!"

Vetra spoke up from the back of the taxi, "Leave him alone Kasumi, yes Kal has a larger penis then Humans."

Jack was glad he wasn't drinking anything because it would've gone everywhere, "Is this the kind of conversation that you've had before or something?"

Kasumi gave him an innocent expression, "Maybe.... And don't think I have forgotten our deal Mandaria. Even though you lost your gang I could still use your help with Hock."

Vetra scoffed shaking her head, "You do know the price on my head right? I don't really want to go to a ball full of bounty hunters anytime soon."

Kasumi gave a retort, "I've had bounty hunters chasing me all over the galaxy. Sometimes they even caught me, you just have to roll with the punches."

Jacob spoke in a bored tone, "The Illusive Man will provide you with whatever you need if you get us in and out of here. He's a man of his word. And freeze all motor functions, I don't want to hear you disagree Saren."

Kasumi once again had a cherry voice, "It's a good thing we're here then so half of that deal is complete!"

Sure enough, Jack noticed they had landed at the Human embassy without any trouble. It looked exactly the same except for the large ads for joining the Alliance military. Two years ago, these ads featured him infront of the Earth, now it was just a random soldier pointing at them. On the one hand, it was a good thing Jack's face couldn't be seen everywhere he looked, on the other hand though it showed the Alliance's attitude about him. They would prefer he just got buried under a rug somewhere and everyone forgot about him. The many scandals potentially surrounding him were apparently too toxic even for the reckless Udina. He was happy to see David Anderson was already waiting for him at the front door.

The old man smiled towards him and tried not to tense at Saren's appearance, "Shepard! It's good to see you, I'm afraid we'll have to catch up later, the Council is waiting for us."

Kasumi grabbed Jacob and Vetra's arms to stop them from following, "We'll wait out here for you, I'm not dressed up enough for a Council interview."

Jack understood that Kasumi probably didn't have friends in the Alliance embassy and thus had to stay outside for safety, so he merely followed Anderson. He had a strange sense of deja vu walking through these halls remembering the first time he was here to meet with Ambassador Udina after Eden Prime. The now Councilor was surely going to give him a hard time for disobeying his orders and going to Ilos but, if he hadn't they all would've died. When they entered the former Ambassadors office though he was disappointed to only see Tevos and Sparatus were present in the room. The Council surely couldn't care less about what he had to say if only two of the four members were here. It was encouraging though that they both gave Saren a surprised look.

Tevos was the first to speak giving them a diplomatic smile, "Commander Shepard, it's good to see the rumors about your death were inaccurate. We called this meeting so you could explain your actions, Shepard, we owe you that much. After all, you saved our lives in the battle against Saren... and his Geth. We've heard many rumors surrounding your unexpected return. Some of them are... unsettling."

Jack decided to get right to the point, "The Reapers are moving again, but not through the Geth, it's the Collectors. They're behind the colony abductions in the Terminus."

Sparatus sounded defiant, "The Terminus Systems are beyond our jurisdiction! Your colonists knew this when they left Council Space."

Jack took a calming breath, "Your missing the important part, Councilor. The Reapers are involved, and I need your help."

Sparatus took a mocking tone, "Ah, yes. 'Reapers.' The immortal race of sentient starships allegedly waiting in dark space. We have dismissed that claim."

Saren spoke up for the first time, "I wasn't the one commanding the Geth. It was the Reaper, Sovereign. He had control over my actions, I would never have subjected the galaxy to that horror willingly."

Sparatus took a defensive tone, "You dare flaunt a trophy VI of Saren just to claim we're threatened by immortal sentient ships in dark space? We HAVE dismissed it!"

Saren growled at him throwing his fist on the table, "Damnit Sparatus, think logically! What about all the evidence? My testimony, the beacon vision on Eden Prime. The evidence is there you just don't want to see it. Why would I, one of your best agents, turn on you?"

Sparatus shrugged glaring at him, "I'm not sure, why don't you tell me?"

Saren gritted his teeth appearing furious, "I can't remember, I lost most of my memory from that time. I'm a healthy Turian, the only way that seems possible by some external means, like indoctrination."

Sparatus chuckled but obviously wasn't amused, "How convenient that the dead man has no memory of his actions. This Reaper theory proves just how fragile your mental state is. You have been manipulated, by Cerberus."

Jack knew the meeting had been a bad idea and was now spinning out of his control. Yes Saren was one of the only people to have intimate conversations with Sovereign but, his death made things complicated. He couldn't exactly say Saren had full control of his mind either, every ten seconds Miranda and Jacob seemed to play with him like he was a puppet. His only chance of getting anything out of them was to pivot the conversation back to the Reapers. If they kept going round and round on Cerberus, no one was going to win.

Tevos spoke before he could, "Yes, Cerberus... We are in a difficult position, Shepard. You are working for Cerberus, an avowed enemy of this Council and all the races it represents. This is treason, a capital offense."

Anderson finally jumped in, "That's too far! Shepard's a war hero a dozen times over, I won't let you arrest him because he's doing what he thinks is right."

Jack took the opportunity to continue, "This isn't about Cerberus. It's about the men, women, and children who are being kidnapped as we speak for god knows what. It's about the people who died on this Presidium because of Sovereign. It's about a SPECTRE who can't understand why he would turn his back on the galaxy. And finally? It's about the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime that warned me about the Reapers."

Tevos sighed looking tired, "I've told you once before Shepard, we believe that you believe it, but that doesn't make it true. Saren was a compelling and charismatic individual. He convinced the Geth the Reapers were real... just as he convinced you."

Saren still seemed angry, "Why would I need the Conduit if I was just using the Geth? I could've attacked the Citadel at any point. Go back to Ilos and talk to Victory. Or just look at what's left of Sovereign, it's obvious the technology is more advanced than our own!"

Sparatus kept a dismissive tone, "The Conduit was just part of your plan to attack the Citadel. The Reapers are just a myth. One you both seem to insist on perpetuating. Furthermore, the hologram on Ilos is no longer functional, and we have found nothing to suggest that Sovereign was not a Geth creation. The Geth are capable of remarkable technological achievements. This is probably why you recruited them."

Saren gave him a cold stare, "Cerberus was right about you! You are just as arrogant as the worst Humans. And just like them, you will pay for it in the end."

Jack rubbed his forehead, "So you won't help me save innocent civilians and Cerberus will? What does that say about this Council?"

Tevos rung her hands together before saying, "Maybe there is a compromise. Not a public acknowledgement, given your ties, but something to show peripheral support. Shepard, if you keep a low profile and restrict your operations to the Terminus Systems, the Council is willing to offer you reinstatement as a SPECTRE."

Jack had to think about that offer for a long moment, it was the best they were willing to give him. A token title for now to be sure but, if The Illusive Man was assassinated and Cerberus imploded, being a SPECTRE was good insurance. Instead of going straight to some Alliance jail somewhere, Jack could potentially continue his investigation after the fallout. However, the catch was he'd have to ignore the Collectors if they attacked a colony in Council Space. He couldn't just doom a huge majority of the Human population just so he personally would be safe later.

With that in mind Jack shook his head, "I'm sorry Councilors but I can't do that. I will protect anyone from the Collectors, no matter where they are in the galaxy."

Sparatus straightened his jacket and they both started to leave, "Well then, good luck with your investigation, Commander. We hope for a quick resolution..." He looked at Saren, "And a quick end to your relationship with Cerberus."

David rubbed the back of his neck looking defeated, "Well. That didn't go as well as I had hoped."

Jack chuckled watching the pair leave in a taxi out the window, "That's the understatement of the year right there Admiral."

Saren turned to look at Anderson, "What about the Human Councilor? Surely he would help his own kind right now, you Humans always stick together in a crisis."

David gave Jack a little glance, "You always keep the most interesting company around you Shepard. Unfortunately, his mind is already made up, just like the rest of the Council."

Saren shook his head in disgust once more, "Well then Citadel Space is already lost. You all will be slaughtered like cattle when the Reapers arrive."

David shrugged seemingly sympathetic to Saren, "Knowing the truth about Sovereign is brutal, it's nightmare stuff. Can't blame others for not wanting to believe it. Your better off focusing your energy on stopping the Collectors than trying to get them to listen to your warnings."

Jack sat down in a chair for a moment and looked at him, "At least tell me the Alliance is smart enough to finish the Geth. How's that war coming along?"

David gave him a confident smile, "They are becoming increasingly disorganized, like someone flipped a switch in their programming. It's long since stopped being called a war. More like cleanup. Not that you can ever discount them, but we haven't had serious casualties for months. A civilian ship will spot an enclave and we send in a squad to clear it. They're not quite the bogeymen they used to be."

Saren surprised them both by asking, "What's the amount of damage I caused from the attack here? Death count, hull damage, everything." 

David regarded him for a few seconds, "We're still counting. The main areas of commerce and the most populated wards are complete, but estimates for total restoration are sitting around five years. The keepers always surprise us, though. It's like our repairs are annoying them. We'll put up an ugly new bulkhead and in a few days they've made it seamless. We never really thought of them as heavy lifters, and I have no idea where they get the resources, but we'd never get done without them."

Jack stood up again and offered David his hand, "Thank you for trying Anderson. I need to go now and take the fight to the Collectors."

David shook his hand before letting go and saluting him, "Of course, Shepard, I understand. I wish I could do more to help you, but if you ever want to talk, I'll be here. Just do me a favor and be careful. You can't trust Cerberus."

Jack certainly agreed with the sentiment but, he had no choice now. Cerberus was his only remaining option if he wanted to stop the Reapers.


	18. Chapter 17: Of Politics and Ice Cream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know N7 day was disappointing to a lot of us.. I just wanted to say I'm not going anywhere because this is my baby.

Tali went up the elevator on the Rayya with a million thoughts spinning around her brain. On the top of her list, was she wrong to let Jack go on with his mission after what happened to the Shellen? His Cerberus squadmates could've told them a lot about what the terrorists were planning under the right pressure. She ultimately stood by her decision to let them go, dealing with the Reapers was more important than fighting Cerberus, no matter what she thought about the organization. The Admirals might not see things her way though which was why she was so worried, had Prazza told them everything? What would happen to her if it went public that she let top members of Cerberus go because one was a friend?

The door opened and she immediately felt uneasy at who was waiting for her, Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib. Zaal was one of the primary representatives for the civilian ships at the Conclave. Unlike some of the more military minded Admirals like Han'Gerrel, Zaal was less concerned about defeating the Geth and taking back Rannoch, and more worried about finding any kind of home for them. It made sense, his job was to protect the interests of everyday Quarians who didn't want to die but, Tali felt like he was missing the bigger picture. Getting Rannoch back was the only way to guarantee Quarian safety, and they were so close! They had already made the Geth less organized with the help of Legion's brain, now all they had to do was figure out how to shut down the consensus. Of course as a civilian, Zaal didn't know that and thus made conversations awkward.

He raised his hand to attract her attention and started walking beside her, "I'm glad you have returned Tali, the report you transmitted about Freedom's Progress was a page turner. Although, I hope Gerrel doesn't think saving my wife's nephew changes anything, we need to start diplomacy with the Citadel."

Tali kept in close step with him but was irritated, "I don't work for Gerrel as he'll happily remind you on an hourly basis. Me and my team were looking for salvage and detected Veetor's distress signal in the neighboring system."

Zaal huffed shaking his head, "Still looking for salvage? I swear you go out and do that enough that I'm starting to think Rael intends to rebuild the Shellen with it."

His sarcastic tone made it clear he didn't believe her but, Tali was telling the truth. Her father had sent her and Prazza's team to locate salvage but more specifically, Geth salvage. The only way Legion was even remotely willing to allow them access into the consensus was to give him a back door out so to speak. He did it this way to prevent himself from being contaminated by the Reaper virus within the consensus. It was definitely understandable, he was protecting himself and his people, however, it was difficult to capture half dying Geth that Legion could use as a back door. They were eventually going to run out of 'easy pickings' in the Terminus so, what would happen then?

Tali responded feeling just as sarcastic, "Maybe that's a good idea, certainly better than letting our population go into a panic about mass starvation."

Zaal grabbed her arm and stopped her in the glass tunnel high above the agricultural farms, "People are starving Tali, millions of people! Tell me your father and Gerrel realize that? That we have a concrete plan to get everyone out of this mess! Otherwise, we will lose a third of our people and it will be because we were too proud to reach out for help."

Tali's anger grew from the implications Zaal was spewing out, "You think it's so easy to reach out to the Council and they'll automatically send aid? Give us a new home?! No, they won't. My father is working day and night to help our people, he will get it done but we don't need a constant reminder of what is at stake."

Zal slowed to a stop in the middle of the tunnel, "Have the other Admirals even tried to communicate with the Council? They listened to you two years ago about Saren, surely our ancestors mistakes have faded into memory."

She laughed amused, "If they had listened to me they would've been preparing for a Reaper invasion these past two years. And nothing will fade when the Citadel's population thinks the Geth were attacking alone. We are on our own Koris, and it's fine that way."

Zaal was starting to shout now, "You think what's happening right now is fine?! Tali, statements like that in this kind of crisis are how rulers get slaughtered."

Tali tensed glaring at him, "Is that a threat vas Qwib? Because if it was I'd be happy to find another civilian Admiral to the Conclave."

He shook his head obviously trying to calm down, "No it's just a fact, our ancestors on Rannoch could've avoided destruction if they had asked for help. All I'm asking for is to be a part of whatever is going on. I can lower the temperature among the people if I know we actually have a plan besides blind ignorance to the problem."

The easiest solution was to ignore him, once the consensus was cracked, no one would care about a perceived temporary complacency on the part of the Admirals. Unfortunately, Zaal still had a point, they wouldn't be able to enjoy the homeworld if there was a rebellion on the flotila. Gerrel may not like it but, having Koris be a part of their meetings could help them in the end. What was he going to do, exile her for letting another Admiral in? Her father would never let that happen and Zaal wasn't the type to leak information. At worst, she'd get a slap on the wrist and the cold shoulder from Gerrel.

Making up her mind, Tali started walking again and motioned him to follow, "Come with me and you'll understand why we've been so quiet."

Her fathers voice could be heard as they walked in to the meeting room, "I still think Legion is our best option, while I admit progress with him is slow, in the long run we will be better off. Imagine having our workforce again the moment we touch down on Rannoch."

Gerrel coughed shutting down the video feed of Legion tied down to a table, "Rael, maybe it would be a good idea to remind your daughter not to bring other Admirals into a classified meeting."

Before she could speak, Zal stormed in front of her, "She wouldn't of had to if you all let me be in these meetings to begin with! Your plan is to launch a blitz invasion on Rannoch now?! Our people are dying! We are losing food by the hour, we need aid damnit!"

The scientifically inclined Daro'Xen sounded fed up, "Take a breath Zaal, we have enough for everyone for six more months. Do you truly believe we're sitting on our hands watching the clock tick down?"

Zaal threw his hands up in the air out of frustration, "I don't know Daro, no one in here will tell me anything! If all you've got is attacking the Geth, then I swear civilian ships will start leaving the flotila."

Rael spoke and seemed to have a happy tone, "Not an attack Zaal, we've already won. With my daughters help over the past two years, we have been able to see glimpses of the Geth consensus through Legion. My research on the consensus has given me the knowledge to eventually pull the plug on their intelligence, with enough time they could become our workers again and jump start our restoration period."

Tali loved hearing the optimism about their future in her fathers voice. Whenever she was able to see him again he was always on the cusp of a breakthrough that could save their people. His confidence on the subject was often so infectious that she ignored the dangers of bringing half dead Geth back to the ship. He even treated Legion with a degree of respect that Tali hadn't expected. The way Rael saw things, Legion was going to be the Geth's representative on the Conclave. She personally didn't feel like mindless drones needed representation but, it was an honorable goal nonetheless. Hopefully Zaal would understand everything was going to be ok once her father finished his work.

Instead, Zaal just started laughing, "You all have to be joking right now, right? You wouldn't possibly think it is a good idea to follow in the footsteps of our ancestors beat for beat? We will all get kicked off Rannoch in fifty years and this time we'll receive even less sympathy. This plan is utter madness and has no chance of success."

Han kept his usual snotty attitude, "Good thing we will actually communicate with the Geth through Legion and the Human child we kept. Quit treating us like children who know nothing about history."

Zaal looked at the floor for a moment, "The girl you speak of is gone. I traded her to the enemy to stop this foolish war."

Everyone in the room shouted the same word, "WHAT?!"

_o0o_

Jack returned to the Normandy annoyed and defeated. He had such high hopes that the Council would do the right thing and join the fight against the Collectors, what he got was a reluctant 'good luck!' Even with Saren telling them he had been indoctrinated wasn't enough, they were determined to ignore any evidence provided just because. How was Citadel Space going to be prepared if he failed and the Reapers arrived? The answer was they weren't going to be which just made it more important for him not to fail. Everything rested on him and his partnership with Cerberus now, whether he liked it or not. He could only hope taking down the Collectors wasn't going to take as long as it did to hunt Saren down.

Kal was sitting right where they had left him outside the medbay but, he was drawing now, "I'm guessing by all the happy faces that the meeting went well?"

Vetra laughed trying to keep a light tone, "If you'd call basically being thrown out good? Yeah it was excellent, otherwise we're stuck here."

A familiar Turian voice came from around the corner in the mess hall, "It isn't all bad, the fridges are bigger and were already stocked with dextro steak.." Garrus limped around the corner with a massive bandage on his left side, "How bad do I look? No one gave me a mirror so I'm assuming pretty bad."

Vetra smirked looking him up and down, "You were always ugly Garrus, just slap some more makeup on and you'll be as good as new..... I hear the ladies like scars..."

He laughed but Jack noted the way Garrus' expression was full of regret, "Ow, don't make me laugh. My face is falling apart as is.."

Saren folded his arms giving his brother a glare, "When we left you were being sedated for talking too much, what the hell are you doing walking around?"

Garrus smirked with a small shrug, "Maybe I got tired of sitting around being a useless piece of shit. I'm not in fighting shape yet but, Kal told me what's going on and I want to help. It's good to see you by the way."

Jack took a careful tone knowing Saren was standing right next to him, "You know I'd always appreciate the help Garrus but, I don't want you to hurt yourself doing it. If you need more time to recover, I'd understand."

He knew Turians were tough sons of bitches because of their extensive military training at an early age, however, it was still impressive Garrus was almost ready to fight again. Medi-Gel could often work miracles given the proper time and other treatment, it wasn't supposed to be used for a quick fix to napalm burns. That being said, Garrus seemed to be moving and talking fine with only a minor grimace of pain. While it was important to keep Garrus away from any intense combat situations, Jack wasn't going to turn down help from someone he trusted. With the Council unwilling to help him, it was vital he surrounded himself with family while working for Cerberus.

Garrus had a determined look in his blue eyes, "I'm not just going to sit around and recover from my mistakes, not when the Reapers could come back and indoctrinate someone elses family. No one else should have to watch that. Besides, dextro cherry ice cream makes everything better."

Saren sat across from him, "Nyreena's going to kill me for not just strapping you down to the bed and making you recover but, ice cream sounds good right now."

Garrus looked down and played with the spoon between his fingers, "Mom died a year and a half ago...I'm told the service was lovely but uhh...I wasn't allowed to go." He gave Saren a sad smile, "You uhh...framed me doing something that gave a bad name to our house."

Jack honestly felt bad for Saren in this moment from the blank expression on his face. It was clear that family meant everything to the actual Saren and he would never purposely hurt Garrus. At least the frankly stunned look on the Turian's face confirmed to Garrus that he was fully indoctrinated by the time of Kajhe. Garrus' face was partially obscured from from the burns and bandages but, the sadness in his gaze was clearly visible, everyone deserved to be at their mothers funeral. Hopefully the pair would eventually be able to get past this, it was just going to take some time to heal.

He was about to say he was so sorry for Garrus' loss when Kal stood up, "I think we should give these two some time to catch up. I have Turian ale in our cabin if you want to come with, Vet?"

She rubbed the back of her neck in the awkward silence, "I have to check up on a few leads with Kasumi, maybe later though."

Garrus looked up at her, "I promise we'll find out who betrayed us and get your sister back." He looked over at Jack, "I'll be here if you need me Shepard, I'm ready to help again alright?"

Miranda's voice came from behind them at the elevator, "Shepard, The Illusive Man would like to speak with you in the conference room."

Jack gave a sarcastic reply, "That was awfully quick of him to need a favor. Tell him I'll be right there."

Kal took his hand and spoke in a sarcastically sweet tone, "Mind if I come along? I'd love to meet the new boss."

His tone was almost sickeningly sweet, Kal was up to something here. It probably wasn't a great idea to see what Kal had to say to The Illusive Man but, at the same time it would definitely be entertaining. Cerberus wasn't going to kick him out for a couple of jabs, they needed him just as much as he needed them. Having the Commander Shepard be a part of the organization gave them some legitimacy, and they needed his knowledge on the Prothean beacon. If The Illusive Man was going to hold Kal hostage when he wanted things done his way, the least he could do was let Kal talk to him.

With a knowing look in his eyes, Jack nodded, "Follow me."

The conference room was already dark when they entered together, "Shepard, how did things go on the Citadel?"

Jack tried not to sound too defeated when he answered, "The Council still believe the Reapers aren't a real threat, they dismissed Saren's testimony because of his connection to you."

The Illusive Man flicked his lighter on and off repeatedly, "I suspected as much, they're too narrow minded to see the bigger picture. No matter, we never needed their blessing to begin with."

Kal stepped forward and looked casually around the virtual room, "Not what I was expecting but, neat place. What nebula are you in the middle of?"

The Illusive Man closed the lighter with a snap, "I beg your pardon?"

Kal had a mocking analytical tone now, "The solar flare's outside your window aren't behaving the way they should, meaning your in a nebula, I'm just not sure which one. I mean there's-"

He cut him off, Kal had struck a nerve, "A fascinating exercise but, we have work to do. Shepard, I need you to head to the Purgatory prison and complete a transaction for me. Once its done you won't owe me anything else."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't I be focusing on finding the Collectors? Surely you have another agent that can do that."

The Illusive Man folded one leg over the other in his chair, "This deal is very important for me to get done. And you owe me for giving you permission to head to the Citadel. Get it done."

Kal spoke just as he was about to end the call, "I hope Cora's doing ok...I know cutting off a chunk of hair can be pretty damaging to a twenty something concerned with her image."

The feed ended abruptly and Jack raised an eyebrow looking at Kal, "Whose Cora?"


	19. Chapter 18: A Last Wish

Kal sat on the edge of the bed in their quarters again and Jack did his best to smile. While the Quarian was doing his best to stay upbeat for Jack, it was obvious that Omega left far more than physical scars. He hated the fact that he couldn't wipe away the bad memories that planet had given his husband for almost two years. What made things worse was the fact that Kal seemed reluctant to talk to him about his time there. Did he just feel guilty about the Batarian he was with for a time, or was something else bothering him? Normally, Jack would've let it go and just moved on but, with Kal confronting The Illusive Man like that, they needed to have a conversation about Omega. At the very least he needed to know who this Cora was and how she was involved with what happened.

Kal put his hand up to keep Jack from talking first, "Just let me start from the beginning and we'll get to Cora. By the time Garrus found me, there were 7 members of Archangel; Garrus, Lantar, Jax, Erash, Sensat, Mierin, and Vortash. They were former military operatives, CSEC agents, the usual type of people you'd find washed up on Omega. We were each Archangel really since Garrus was a bit of mess himself... Garrus' tech expert was the Batarian we talked about, Erash, believe it or not. Was the friendliest guy I met there, and he could hack any system ever built."

Erash was definitely something he was curious about, how did he break through Kal's stubborn adherence to rules to sleep with him? Kal wasn't the type to do completely crazy things when drunk, so, there had to be more to the relationship. With the knowledge this Erash was an engineer, maybe they bonded over technology. Then again, Kal wasn't exactly a techie, he was more focused on art and explosions. In the end, it didn't matter, they bonded in the middle of a difficult situation and Kal regretted it. He decided that unless Kal wanted to discuss it, he was going to ignore the Batarian. There were plenty of other more pressing issues about Omega they could talk about instead.

Jack raised an eyebrow as he sat across from him, "How did Garrus get a squad like that on Omega? I'm sure what he was suggesting wasn't exactly popular with the people that lived there."

Kal stared at him seemingly comforted talking about this, "From what I understand, it wasn't too different from how you formed your squad to fight Saren actually. You prove that you get things done, and people join up." His tone took a disgusted turn, "And you saw Omega, it was full of thugs kicking the helpless. Garrus formed the team to kick back. You'd be surprised how easy it was."

Jack took a cautious tone not wanting to step on his toes but he had to ask, "So what happened to the team? How'd you end up pinned back at the hideout?"

Kal played with his hands for a few seconds before speaking, "I think it was my own damn fault. I have a feeling Erash betrayed us for me."

Well, he didn't plan on talking about him but, here they went, "Why would you think that? You cared about them, how could it be your fault?"

Kal took a deep breath, "There's something I didn't tell you...Erash was umm, he was on Torfan, in the KAC control room...."

Almost three years ago, Torfan:

_o0o_

Jack had dropped the Mako like a missle on top of the KAC's exterior, Balak had to die. Unfortunately, Jack underestimated just how much energy protecting himself with biotics he needed. Alarm bells sounded repeatedly as he stumbled into the hallway he had rammed into with the front of the vehicle. Normally, it would've been a good idea for Jack to have some medi-gel and take stock for a few minutes, he couldn't do that today. Hundreds or thousands of slaves were burning far below them, and more importantly, Mandaria was dead, Akira was dead, Karosn was dead and, Kal was dying from an infection. He had to kill that fucking Batarian to make any of this bloodbath worth it. So, Jack grabbed his pistol and marched down the hall with a dizzy head towards the control room.

Two Batarians rounded the corner and one whistled, "Damn he actually survived, well maybe this crazy plan will work after all."

Jack fired at the head of the first right between his top two eyes. However, the kickback from the shot made his wrist jolt far away from his other target. With his head pounding from the noise of the gunshot, the second Batarian shot his ankle making his leg buckle underneath his weight. He pulled the trigger on his pistol and luckily, the bullet bounced off the wall and into the slavers eye. Jack didn't feel like he could walk and so he used his arms to keep going forward. He couldn't stop, Kal was too important to stop.

Another Batarian emerged from the control room and grabbed his arm, refusing to look at him, "Hey boss, I found him!"

His heart stopped seeing who was in the room; a naked trembling Kal. His usually creamy, smooth, moist, purple skin was dry, cracked and seemingly turning green. Kal's eyes were dull and gray with colorful mucus gliding down his small nostrils and his breathing was harsh and short. The Quarian was slowly dying, not even his more advanced immune system could handle this many Batarian's germs. The sight terrified him more than anything in his military career, he was about to lose the love of his life. Balak had made a huge mistake thinking he could do this and not be put through just a painful of a death.

Despite the fact he was on death's door, Kal smiled at him briefly, "It's good to see you right now sweetheart...." His words ended in a coughing fit.

Balak clapped his hands together with an amused smirk, "It is so good to see you Jack. I was worried you weren't going to make it before Kal died."

Jack gritted his teeth trying to lunge at him even though the other Batarian was holding on to him, "I'm going to kill you and make it as slow as possible you son of a bitch!"

Kal groaned throwing up all over the floor and Balak smirked, "Careful Jack, you keep talking to me like that and I won't let you walk out of here together. All I'm asking for is one little thing."

Jack snarled watching Kal curl up into a ball next to his own vomit, "What would you want now?! Me to get you a drink of water?"

Balak laughed obviously not caring about the Quarian next to him or the fleet battle outside in low orbit, "That would be simple wouldn't it? No. No." He stepped aside revealing the controls to the KAC, "I need you to willingly fire this thing into the Everest. You do that and you can go with your little fire cracker. See? It's so easy!"

His gut twisted into knots with fear and shame, Mandaria had been right. Balak had set this trap just so he would fall right into it. The Batarian had enough forward planning to reveal himself on Mindoir to kidnap Kal and get them all here. He couldn't have accounted for the Migrant Fleet joining the fight but, in the end it looked like they were just soaking up Batarian weapon damage. Jack still now had to decide whether to do what Balak wanted or most certainly watch Kal die. The choice was overwhelming him, either destroy the Alliance's only dreadnought, or destroy a future with the man of his dreams.

Kal whimpered and coughed desperately trying to talk, "Don't do it....he's lying.."

Jack looked at him and then Balak, "How do I know your telling me the truth? You expect me to trust you after everything you've done?"

Balak frowned and looked disappointed, "You know I can't tell you anything that could convince you, but I can bring up the pressure." He pulled his pistol out of it's holster and put it to Kal's temple, "You have five seconds to decide."

The other Batarian dragged him towards the console and Kal shouted between wet coughs, "Please...don't do this Jack... I die and he has nothing."

"FIVE!"

Kal continued roughly, "We'll be together again...in the next life.... Please, let me go."

"FOUR!"

Kal finished pleadingly, "One life...is less important...then the Alliance..the slaves. You taught me that...let me go."

"THREE!"

Jack was staring at the keyboard to the KAC, his mind full of conflict. Kal was right, his life was less important than the entire Alliance, it was easy to say that. It was a lot harder to put aside his feelings, his memories of them in bed talking the night away, the possibilities of their future after this moment. Could he really just let Kal die and carry the body out of here? The answer was definitely a no but, his only other option was to pull the trigger and doom everyone on the Everest to die. It was an impossible decision that he had to decide in the next second and a half.

The other Batarian put his hand on top of Jack's and he whispered into his ear seemingly desperately, "Just press the button...please."

_o0o_

Jack spoke trying not to react too surprised, "The Batarian who kept me up right..."

He cleared his throat awkwardly, "Yeah." Kal looked down and continued softly, "He always felt like he was responsible for not stopping Balak, he wanted to make amends for what happened.. Shortly after we were together we raided a base that we thought was Blue Suns, a base Erash found and Cora owned."

The way that Kal refused to look at him made it clear Kal thought this was going to harm their relationship. He had slept with one of the men responsible for countless Human deaths, it was safe to think that would've been a problem. Jack knew Kal though, and he knew the Quarian wouldn't sleep with someone like Balak. If he said Erash wanted to make amends, that was the truth. It made no difference to Jack in the end, he loved Kal and couldn't imagine having any sort of meaningful life without him and he knew Kal felt the same way.

Jack took the hand Kal was fiddling with in his own, "I haven't changed my mind Kal, Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum ner cyar'ika."

Kal couldn't help but laugh, "It's pronounced 'seeareeka' not 'charika'... Anyways, we found evidence that you were alive and just frozen with Aria. Erash convinced me it was possible but tried to get me to stay at the base instead of going to Afterlife to try and find you. I think he knew you weren't actually there because he made a deal with Cora. Let you live in exchange for getting everyone in Archangel besides me, killed. He wanted us to be together I think.."

Jack let all that sink in, "He could've just wanted you safe, do you have anything besides his behavior."

Kal nodded squeezing Jack's hand, "You remember that Quarian who kidnapped me on Noveria? Before I killed him, he implicated Erash as the traitor...and that The Illusive Man's daughter was involved. He only worked with Cora and you saw how that kriffing bosh'tet reacted when I brought her up. She played Erash and the gangs for her own twisted game."

Jack couldn't really argue with the logic but, "Ok, so someone you knew betrayed you. How is that your fault?"

Kal sounded frustrated with him, "Everyone that went to Afterlife except Garrus, Mand, and me are dead because of him. All because I didn't want to see it coming. He gave me signs I refused to think about because he was a friend. If I didn't reach out to him for a shoulder to cry on in the first place, he wouldn't have taken a deal with Cora.... I'm responsible for the deaths of every single Talon, Sensat, Jax, Lantar, Vortash, Mierin, and Erash."

He understood why Kal felt that way, on the flotila everyone was responsible for others actions, you were supposed to put the flotila above everything else. Kal might've been an exile but he still operated under the culture he grew up in. The fact Erash betrayed their group for him, made him just as responsible for everyone elses deaths as a result in Quarian culture. Jack wanted to explain to him that wasn't true, that he wasn't responsible but Kal wouldn't want to hear that right now. His tone of voice made it clear he was determined to take the blame, there would be a time later on to convince him otherwise.

Jack merely stood up, walked over to the bed, and pulled him into a close hug, "I'm so sorry Kal, don't carry this alone. It's my fault too, Erash did it to save me afterall."

Kal turned his helmet towards him slowly, "Promise me something? When this is over and the Reapers are dead, we'll retire on a beach somewhere and adopt. And we'll help Mandaria find her sister."

Jack blinked surprised by the ask, Kal wanted to eventually retire and adopt a child. It wasn't that he was opposed, he dreamed about that possibility on more than one occasion, he was just stunned Kal wanted that too. Every other time they had discussed a future together, Kal stated he was going to fight alongside Jack until the day they both died. He said fighting was in his bones. If Kal had wanted, they'd run away together tomorrow, Reapers be damned. Unfortunately, they still had work to do, thank the gods Kal was willing to help him.

His hand cupped Kal's mask as they layed down on the bed, "I promise. When this is over we'll have little babies to take care of."

Kal snuggled into him with a sigh, "Good, Erash made me promise we would right before he died."

Jack held Kal as close as possible, it was too early to sleep but, they could snuggle until the Normandy reached Purgatory prison. He was touched that a Batarian, a race full of slavers who needlessly attacked Humanity, would do everything in his power to make sure they would be happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PSA: I've been telling everyone to read ME annihilation. It's a beautiful book!


	20. Chapter 19: The Mutt, The Lab Rat, The Traitor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna get a few chapters this week quickly to cover Thanksgiving!

Jack spent several hours just holding and cuddling against Kal trying to comfort him. It wasn't right that Kal held onto the weight of all those deaths on his shoulders, in both cases it was the people who loved him that were really responsible. If Jack could take anything back, he would've changed what he did on Torfan, listened to Mandaria's warning, but he didn't. Instead, he killed his mother unintentionally to save Kal, and Kal took responsibility for that. He couldn't change what he or Erash did but, he could make sure Kal didn't have to feel responsible for anyone else's death ever again.

His omni tool beeped and he answered a call hearing EDI's synthetic voice, "Commander, we have arrived at Purgatory prison. Miranda is waiting for you at the docking port."

Jack grumbled quietly with a sigh, "Thanks EDI, tell her we're on our way in a minute."

Kal groaned with a stretch and sat up, "Well, looks like it's time to get back to work. Hopefully we don't get a lecture about the conversation with me and our wonderful new boss."

Jack smirked patting his shoulder, "It's not the first time I've taken heat from Miranda but, maybe next time just let me know your going to threaten our bosses daughter? We unfortunately still need him and his credits."

Kal picked up his pistol from the bedside table, "I know, but we can't trust them. Let's get this over with so we can actually go after the Collectors, shall we?"

Jack put his armor on just in case and looked at him, "How do I look? Ready for a fight or like the lazy guy I've been all day?"

Kal responded with a lighthearted tone, "Ugly now that I can really see you in those colors. I'll have to paint it before the next mission. We don't want the galaxy to think you drank the...Kool-Aid I think it was? The Bowmans said that a lot about celebrities."

The elevator sent them on a quick trip to the CIC where Miranda was waiting. She didn't seem upset at all but, Jack knew her well enough by now to know that her silence was an angry one. Miranda certainly didn't want The Illusive Man confronted like that, especially with something so personal as his daughter. He knew Miranda's own relationship with Cora had to be complicated since she destroyed one of Cora's bases to save him. It was almost as if the man enjoyed the two much younger women fighting back and forth for the right to be his heir.. The Illusive Man was letting them both run amuck and now it was coming back to haunt him. It wasn't Jack's fault that was causing pain for everyone involved with Cerberus.

Miranda kept a neutral tone as they approached, "I don't think the weapons are necessary Commander, The Illusive Man made this deal months ago."

Kal shrugged and Jack was surprised to see him put three more pistols in his boots, "I'm sure he thinks everything is fine and dandy, knowing the Blue Suns though, I think I'd feel safer with these."

Garrus was behind them wearing his old damaged armor and a rifle was strapped to his back, "Knowing the Blue Suns you'll be in a firefight in two seconds flat. You'll need someone to watch your asses."

Jack could tell Garrus used several stim packs to keep himself up right, "Garrus, I appreciate it but I need you here, make sure the drive core is ready for a quick get away."

Garrus was clearly about to respond when Kal gave him a subtle yet complicated hand gesture behind his back, it made Garrus just nod, "Right... I'll stay here and make sure the engineers didn't calibrate something wrong."

He was confused from the exchange when Miranda chimed in, "You taught him Quarian sign language, interesting but unecessary. I know neither of you trust me."

As the outer airlock door opened, Kal stood up straighter, "I'm surprised you recognized Kelr'ya, it usually only is functional for those of us with three fingers."

Jack gave him a curious look genuinely interested in this new tidbit about Quarian culture, "You never told me you knew sign, are a lot of Quarians deaf?"

Kal shook his head quickly, "No, at least not in the traditional Human sense. Our suits sometimes malfunction so it's important we have another form of communication. It's good for combat scenarios as well because you only need one hand and three fingers."

Just before the inner airlock opened Miranda continued, "It works well with those that have disabilities in any species as well. I'm learning it in my spare time..."

Jack put that in the back of his mind, if Miranda was using her spare time to learn a sign language only meant for dextro species and the disabled, Oriana must've meant more to her then he thought. He could use that card if he absolutely needed to, if Kal's life was at stake for example. Tali would surely at least be able to put a vid call through so Miranda could talk to her like she obviously wanted to. He had a feeling that for whatever reason, Miranda was willing to bend or even break a few Cerberus directives for Oriana's well being.

The entrance to Purgatory wasn't exactly as professional as Jack would've expected from a contractor to the Alliance. The 'guards' were wandering around like they were on holiday, no one seemed to be waiting for them either. He had to wonder if any of the Blue Suns even knew someone had docked to the prison. Furthermore, the room itself looked more like a bar, with gambling tables and alcohol dispensers, then it did the entrance to a prison. These Blue Suns mercenaries seemed overly confident none of the prisoners were going to break out, or that they were just incredibly stupid. Whichever answer was more accurate made the Alliance look like fools for hiring them.

He actually had to cough loudly before a merc got up and approached him, "Ah, welcome to the Purgatory, Shepard. Your package is being prepped, and you can claim it shortly. In the meantime, as this is a high-security vessel, you'll need to relinquish your weapons before we proceed and go through an identity scanner. Don't worry, your weapons will be returned to you on the way out. You must realize this is just a standard operating procedure."

Jack was about to agree when he realized a former member of Archangel's team was standing right next to him. Surely these idiots would want to take and kill Kal for all the trouble he caused to the Omega branch. How could he have been so stupid to not think this would be a problem? The obvious answer was that he had been just wrapped up in holding and comforting Kal to think about it. At the same time, Kal was probably still just getting used to him being alive and wanted to stick around him.

He shook his head and grabbed his exposed pistol, "I'm not in the habit of giving away my weapons to thugs like you, especially for a mere prisoner release."

The merc got in his face pulling out his own weapon, "Well then, maybe you should get in the habit of it or you can fuck off to wherever you came from."

Just when Jack was about ready to shoot, a new Turian voice emerged from beyond the checkpoint, "Everyone stand down, Commander Shepard, I'm Warden Kuril, and this is my ship. Despite my better judgment, we're bringing Jack out of cryo now. As soon as the funds clear, you can be on your way. If you'll follow me to Outprocessing for the pickup, Commander?"

Jack motioned for him to lead the way and they skipped the checkpoint, "I was under the impression this deal already went through, what's the hold up if you don't mind me asking?"

Kuril merely laughed and gave him a wide Turian smirk as they walked forward, "Honestly? I think our accountants were just surprised someone would pay that much to get Jack released."

Kal tilted his head to one side, "That bad huh? What he do?"

Before the Warden could answer, a voice from one of the cells called to them, "A genetic mutt, a lab rat, and a traitor walk into a prison... Would be a funny story if your lives weren't going to end so soon."

Jack felt his gut tie in knots recognizing that voice all too well from Luna base, so this was why he was here. Sure enough, looking toward the sound, Jack saw Kai Leng. The assassin went after him personally during the Luna base attack claiming his father was an alien. Lab rat was unfortunately Kal, his father experimented on the Quarian to improve his immune system for his entire childhood. That meant Miranda must've been the traitor, but why? Was he only angry that she was with them, or was she involved with him ending up in here? He would certainly keep it in the back of his mind, it could be further leverage against Miranda later.

The more pressing concern was just the simple fact he was here at all. The Illusive Man didn't work in coincidences meaning the fact Leng was here was important. Did he expect Jack to get Leng out as well? Could 'Jack' be a fake name specifically for Leng? Jack definitely didn't want to release a man that apparently still wanted him dead for whatever his supposed father's sins were. Did The Illusive Man really expect him to take down the Collectors while one of Cerberus' other agents wanted him dead?

Kuril snapped his fingers causing a sound proof biotic shield to deploy in front of each cell door, "Apologies Commander, it's just before med time so some of the inmates are more colorful then usual."

Interestingly, even Miranda sounded concerned, "How's security in this place? Have you had any breakouts lately?"

Kuril had a smug tone pointing to the biotic infused doors, "As you can see, we keep a tight control over the population. Each prisoner's cell is a self-contained, modular unit. I've blown a few out the airlocks as an example. And besides, even if one prisoner actually managed to get out, guard assigned escape pods are the only way off my little paradise, there's no way out and they know it. Nothing goes wrong here."

Kal had a sarcastic tone looking at Miranda, "Well, it's a relief no one ever visits the station to give them another escape route then..."

Kuril rubbed the back of his neck, "Yes well, your package will be at Outprocessing, just down the hall. It was a pleasure doing business with you Commander."

Jack approached the next door and gave Miranda a curious look now that they were mostly alone, "You didn't know he was here did you? He left that out of his report to you even?"

Miranda refused to look at him staring at the door infront of them, "It doesn't matter, let's just get Jack and go back to the Normandy. The Collectors aren't waiting around on us to finish up."

Despite what she said, it was clear that Leng's appearance had shaken Miranda to the point she was actually showing it. How close to The Illusive Man was Miranda really if he neglected to tell her something as important about their mission here? He refused to believe The Illusive Man slipped up and didn't know Leng was here. As they entered the next room, Jack was struggling to see what game The Illusive Man was playing at here, why pit your people against each other? Did he just enjoy watching his people squirm? His mind had to switch gears immediately when he realized this room wasn't an Outprocessing center, it was a holding cell.

Kuril's voice came from the intercom above them, "Drop your weapons and proceed into this open cell. You will not be harmed."

Jack took a deep annoyed breath while Kal put his rifle in the door to keep it open, "Maybe I can change your mind? Cerberus isn't the type of organization you want as an enemy, trust me I know. Why don't we just talk about this instead?"

Kuril's tone sounded impatient, "My apologies Commander, your more valuable to me as a prisoner than a customer. Send in a team to pacify them please."

EDI spoke through his squad's omni tool channel, "Shepard, the warden has locked down the area behind you. You must find another exit route."

Jack killed the first merc coming through the door with a single shot while Kal used his shotgun as a bat on the second. He didn't notice it when they first got ready but, Kal was armed to the teeth in weapons. Not only did he have more of them but, he was more brutal with them. He used the propped up body of a merc as cover to absorb fire while he shot over the bodies shoulders. Jack and Miranda only needed to pick off stragglers darting for cover while Kal took most of the attention. Garrus must've given him some Turian military training on Omega, even during the Blitz, Kal hadn't been this efficient.

Miranda shouted over the gunfire, "We know EDI, have any suggestions on how we could get back to the Normandy?"

EDI spoke as if they weren't fighting for their lives, "The simplest escape path will take you past the cryo controls. You can obtain Jack on your way out."

Jack shot at the legs of a mechanical drone so Kal could jump on top of it and slit a merc's throat with a knife he grabbed from another merc, "Thanks EDI but I don't think this other Jack is our concern right now."

Miranda had a scolding tone, "The Illusive Man spent hundreds of thousands of credits on Jack, we have to get him out or die trying."

Jack hated doing The Illusive Man's favors, "If we have an opportunity along the way to get him, fine, but I will not risk our lives for this!"

Miranda glared at him, "Just follow me, it can't be that far off. This station isn't like ours Shepard."

They followed Miranda reluctantly through multiple corridors filled with Blue Suns mercenaries. While Jack was able to shoot along the flanks and cover their rear, Miranda's biotics and Kal's brute force really helped in pushing forward. As they rounded yet another corner in what looked like an observation room for a cell block, a LOKI mech pounced on Kal going for his pistol. This version of the mech had to be trained in hand-to-hand combat because it slapped away the shotgun in his other hand and kicked Kal's knee out from under him. Jack easily shot the mech in the head before things could get messy.

He offered Kal his free hand to help him back up, "Easy there Blasto, I'm supposed to be the SPECTRE remember?"

Kal laughed at the joke and accepted the help, "Then you should try and keep up with me Arvitus... Blasto here needs a good partner, not one who can't keep up."

Miranda rolled her eyes and EDI spoke in the comm again, "Shepard, you have reached the cryo controls and Jack's pod. Unfortunately in order to release them while under lockdown, you will have to open every other cell in this facility. Do you still want to proceed?"

Jack approached the controls not knowing what he wanted to do when Kal grabbed his arm, "Are you sure you want to do this? It sounds like he could get out in the process and we both don't want that."

Miranda walked in front of him and took the controls, "We don't have a choice, The Illusive Man wants Jack. EDI, open the cryo pods and get the Normandy ready for a pick up."

Jack looked at her and then Kal, "Miranda wait here, we're going back to that cell to kill Leng before he gets off this station."

She was about to protest when all the cell doors opened all at once and they all saw her, Jack. He was stunned to see the Human girl surrounded by LOKI mechs couldn't be over the age of sixteen and was covered in tattoos. Why in galaxies name was The Illusive Man so interested in a teenage prisoner of the Blue Suns? It felt like this had indeed just been a ploy to get Leng released, until she started glowing blue. It was one of the brightest displays of biotic power Jack had ever seen, even the indoctrinated Saren didn't glow quite like that. Suddenly with a youthful shout, the girl exploded her biotic energy in a brilliant flash destroying all the mechs around her. Still screaming, the girl charged through the wall underneath them, disappearing from sight.

Jack let out a small whisper, "She's way too young to have that power."

Kal was merely staring at the destruction underneath them, "That was Jack? Keelah, not exactly what I was expecting."

Miranda muttered under her breath, "This girl is clearly powerful, but she lacks subtlety.....just like her teacher." More loudly she asked, "EDI, by your estimate what kind of damage could Jack cause to this facility?"

EDI's flat voice didn't convey the serious nature of what could happen next, "Main drive failure. Auxiliary systems failure. Mass effect core systems failure. Structural integrity failure, just to name a few."

Miranda looked at both of them, "Your little grudge against Leng will have to wait. Right now we have to get Jack out before we explode..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the 'Quarian cultural researcher' on the Mass Effect Fanfiction Writers page on Facebook for the idea of Quarian sign language! It really does make so much sense.


	21. Chapter 20: Subject #0 meet Subject Vercopa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers!

Kal hated the feeling that they were quickly losing control of the situation, it reminded him too much of Afterlife. He shouldn't have pushed Jack to reach out to the bosh'tets on the Citadel in the first place, they wouldn't have been in this scenario if he just kept his mouth shut. Instead, they were running around a small exploding prison station trying to catch the best biotic he had ever seen while simultaneously trying to hide from an assassin that wanted all three of them dead. That wasn't even putting the station's integrity into consideration. If he got the chance to take out Leng he would certainly take it but, there was no way in hell he was going to leave Jack's side to hunt him down. 

The three of them were walking through a massive trail of destruction the girl had left behind. In the wrong hands, this kind of raw power could take down governments, let alone space stations. He couldn't let The Illusive Man have this kind of unlimited power, especially since last he heard, Cerberus was still at war with the flotila. He could only imagine what kind of damage she could do to an already fragile Quarian ship. While he had no love for the fleet's leadership, he wasn't going to put innocent Quarian civilians lives in the crossfire. Kal wanted to talk about the possibility of just killing her with Jack but, with Miranda so close by that was definitely a no go. He was going to have to do this solo, and let the consequences hit him afterwards.

Jack tapped his omni tool, "EDI, any idea where she's going so we can cut her off?"

He was still trying to get used to letting an AI into his suit's comm system but EDI was useful, "My current calculations predict Jack is heading for our docking bay. Sending the best available route to you now."

Jack seemed understandably reluctant even though he nodded, "You heard her, the quicker we get back to the ship, the sooner we can get Jack out of here..."

Kal let Jack and Miranda take the lead to cover the rear this time as they started wandering through the station. The Blue Suns were definitely thinning out, having to deal with every single inmate from the facility suddenly getting freedom, however Kal still found himself shooting at one or two of them that were on the upper levels. It felt a little strange working in this close of a unit again after Omega, Garrus was a lot looser command wise. As long as they got the job done, Garrus usually let each team member split up out of his sight. Jack on the other hand liked to keep his team back to back with him, Kal didn't mind it was just new again.

He had trusted Miranda to watch his left flank, that was a big mistake. She was much more interested in shooting at a Blue Suns mech in front of them to notice one of the inmate's charging his body into Kal's side. Kal let himself fall like his training taught him only to use that momentum to try and throw the inmate over his head. Unfortunately, the inmate grabbed onto his suit causing them both to roll along the ground away from Jack and Miranda. They hit something, maybe the back wall, with a hard thud and Kal groaned lightly from the impact. His initial reaction was to call out for help but, one of the inmate's hands covered his mouthpiece. That was a common mistake for people wanting to strangle Quarian's, the tubing behind helmets provided the necessary air exchange. Covering the mouthpiece just made him silent. He could feel the inmate's free hand fishing around his suit pockets for weapons but, Kal still had a pistol in each hand. A shot to the gut and the temple made the inmate instantly collapse in a heap on top of him.

Jack turned around and started to walk back towards him, "Hey, are you ok?"

Kal grumbled wiping blood off his helmet, "Yeah I was just a little careless..."

He stood up to rejoin them when suddenly a kinetic barrier split the room in half, separating them. Kal could only think of one good reason for internal barriers deploying like this and that was a hull breach. He wouldn't be surprised if one of the girls' biotic attacks missed the mark and caused massive collateral damage to the ship. This was exactly the reason why she couldn't be in The Illusive Man's hands, even the smallest hull breach could cause wide spread panic on a Quarian ship.

Miranda frowned finally joining Jack on the other side of the barrier, "Looks like a kinetic barrier. Since we're still breathing I'm guessing it's on your side Reegar."

Jack had a worried expression on his face as he scanned the barrier with his omni tool, "It's reading as that for sure, I don't think I can hack a hole to get you through."

Kal checked the HUD on the inside of his helmet, "Your both right, my suit has switched to it's internal oxygen supply." He looked at Jack taking a comforting tone, "Don't worry I have three hours, I'll EVA to the Normandy if I have to."

EDI's calm and monotone voice actually relaxed him right now, it reminded him of his pilgrimage, "Such a drastic step will not be required Kal. I am reading a secondary path to the Normandy that will take you five minutes to complete."

Jack let out a sigh, obviously letting go of some fear, "Alright, see you on the ship and be careful."

Kal started following the path EDI set for him slowly, monitoring heat signatures around him. Unfortunately, the biotic energy from the girl was so intense that it was hard to isolate any other readings. Not even Asari Matriachs had this kind of raw biotic power so, why was a Human teenager this strong? The question would have to wait, he was hearing whistling coming from the vents above him. He tried turning around but, the door had sealed to contain the breach. Jack had been in a panic for her life, she wouldn't be making that kind of confident sing-song type noises. If he was lucky, it was just another random inmate about to pounce on him, Kal knew better, this was Leng.

He fired a few random blasts into the ceiling to give him time to think, "EDI, tell Garrus to stop whatever he's doing and get to my location as soon as possible. Tell Jack I'm going to be delayed.."

Jack would've surely wanted to help him kill this bastard but, he wasn't sure Miranda wouldn't try and stop them. She may have had a beef with the assassin, it just probably wasn't a big enough one to kill him in the open. With Garrus, all Kal had to worry about was if the Turian was too stupid to realize he needed to let him do the heavy lifting. All he needed was for Leng to be distracted on two fronts, that's how he lost last time. Kal had a strong feeling that Leng was directly above him but he didn't fire immediately, Dad taught him to only pull the trigger when he had something in his sights.

That annoyingly cocky voice got louder, "It's adorable you think you'll last long enough for the Turian to get here. You know, I was hoping to find you alone in here, it'll just make Shepard's pain more real. Knowing you tried and failed to protect him from me."

Kal tensed getting ready to absorb a hit, "Why don't you come down here and find o-"

The sudden pressure from thick, shiny, black armored legs around Kal's throat cut him off. He made a calculated risk to not fire at those thighs and let Leng lift him off the ground. Sure, he wasn't able to breath for a few painfully long seconds but, he would get a better shot once he was closer to the assassins' body. At the last possible second before he was sure he would pass out, Kal arched his wrist upwards and shot the rest of his thermal clip into the darkness. He heard a very satisfying howl and the grip on his throat turned to jello and they both crumpled to the floor.

Leng grunted in pain clutching his side angrily, "You cheating fucker! All you Quarians are all the same." He lashed out with his sword swinging for Kal's legs on the ground near by, "I'm going to kill you, and then your filthy lover!"

At first Kal thought he was seeing things from his temporary lack of air, looking at him with a cough, Kal realized he was wearing Cerberus armor and using his signature sword. There was no way the Blue Suns would've kept those in the armory. He was convinced now more than ever that this entire favor to get this Jack off of Purgatory was really just a charade to free Kai Leng. Kal tossed his empty pistol out of his hand and fired the remaining blasts from his other pistol. However, the combination of Kal recovering oxygen and the assassin's agility made his attempts useless.

Leng charged forward with the tip of his sword barely missing Kal's hood, and instead exposed sparking wires from the wall, "If you weren't so angry you might've actually killed me!"

He took a hard knee to the gut but, he used the knife he got earlier to slash at Leng's cheek. A headbutt sent Kal backward and he could see a crack in his helmet slowly start to form, damnit knowing the germs in here that was going to get a cold. Leng tried to make the crack bigger with a second headbutt while their hands struggled over his sword. From his new perspective looking up at the ceiling, Kal could see the sparking wires just above his head. When Leng attempted to headbutt him a third time, Kal grabbed the wires and thrusted them upward into the Human's eyes. He was about to use his other hand to stab his gut but, a biotic wave pulsed through sending them both flying.

The feeling of his spine slamming into hard metal at such a high speed made his suit stab him with all the medi-gel it had. He was swimming in a numbing agent and could only watch as Leng stumbled at top speed into the distance out of sight. Kal reached for his dagger to try and defend himself when he stopped at the sight of the girl's glowing tattoo covered ankle. His heart panged at the realization that all of her tattoos were to cover injection marks and experiment notations. He felt like he was looking at himself when he was her age, she was a lab rat just like him. The thought of killing her vanished like a bad dream, no he needed to help her get through this. Kal knew he was the only one that could truly understand her, and he would be paying the kindness Shelrrik showed him on his pilgrimage forward.

She slowed to a stop looking down at him as he got up, "Shit, your actually alive still? I thought you Quarians died from a puncture the size of a Volus dick, not a crack like that."

Kal smeared omni gel on the crack as a temporary fix partially blinding him, "I'm not your average Quarian, Jack..." He decided to make a direct question, "What was your codename or number growing up?"

She started glowing brighter with biotics again, "Fuck you and wherever you came from!"

Garrus' voice came in through his helmet with a whisper, "I have a shot on her, just give the word and she'll drop."

Kal used the hand behind his back to sign, "NO! Just trust me, please." Aloud Kal spoke gently, like he was approaching a wild animal, "I was known as Subject Vercopa, or, Subject Hope in Quarian. My first memory was my father telling me he was going to inject me with enough viruses to make my brain mush. From the time I was born until I turned sixteen I was an experiment. He wanted me to breed new immunities into the Quarian population."

Jack shook her head pacing back and forth aggressively, "Bullshit! No way in hell you would be standing here if that happened!"

Garrus' voice became urgent, "Kal your not making things better, if I don't take a shot soon my bullet wouldn't be able to get past her barrier."

His hand urgently signed, "No, do not take that shot!" Knowing he had already been exposed to germs, he rolled up one of his sleeves quickly and pointed to his own injection marks, "This was when I was five, pneumonia that kept me from a friend's birthday party. This was when I was three, gave me seizures for six months. This one here, yeah, when I hit puberty my father decided I needed a temporary STD.... I know what it's like to be strapped to a medical table every day for weeks and never know if you'll walk again. Jack...let me help you, at least get you some clothes and a ship out of here."

She seemed to relax just a little speaking softly, "I was Subject Zero, the first washed up orphan fuck to get sent to Noveria... So I'm used to the cold, could use some food though."

Kal let out a silent breath he didn't know he had been holding, "Then you can follow me, I'm not a good cook really but I promise I'll protect you."


	22. Chapter 21: On the Horizon

Kal suddenly wished he had taught Jack Kelr'ya, he could've communicated what was going on here a lot better as he approached the now empty airlock. What EDI had predicted would only take five minutes, actually took fifteen. He was also sure he looked like a mess because of the omni gel splashed over the crack in his helmet and the limp he had going. Not even all his suit's medi-gel was able to fix his spine hitting a wall like that, he was going to need to rest. It was worth it though, Kai Leng was injured hopefully for good, and he had temporarily calmed the girl down. Now, he just needed to make sure she stayed out of The Illusive Man's greedy hands, someone so young deserved a normal life.

He felt the girl slow to a stop besides him at the sight of the Normandy, "Woah there asshole, you didn't think you could trick me to get onboard that thing did you?"

He took a deep breath wanting more numbing agent for his spine, "I'm not with Cerberus, I'm alien if you didn't notice."

She glared at him with hints of biotic sparks dancing off her bare skin, "Yeah I did, I also know Cerberus hires you self absorbed asses on occasion. I almost killed one of you lot escaping Noveria."

Kal leaned against the docking port tube waiting for the inner door to open, "You mean Golo vas Nedas right? If it makes you feel any better, I killed him on Omega."

Thankfully, Jack was waiting for them at the inner airlock and moved to keep him upright, "Jesus, we separate for five minutes and you always get yourself in trouble.." He gave Kal a wink before he looked over at Zero, "We aren't with Cerberus, I'm Commander Jack Shepard with the Alliance Navy. You must be the other Jack."

She put her hands on her hips and looked at them, "I didn't know the Alliance suddenly had a wardrobe switcheroo day. You two aren't really all that convincing."

Kal decided to take a chance here talking fast, he could explain it later to Jack, "We'll prove it and give you any files Cerberus related that you want, an actual agent wouldn't give you that. It's either us or try your luck and find an escape pod out here."

He knew making that kind of offer was fairly dangerous on his own. It undermined Jack's position as Commander making that offer and there was no guarantee they could deliver. What if she wanted information on The Illusive Man's real identity? Even if Jack was on the best of terms with Cerberus, he certainly wouldn't get that for any reason. There were a million reasons why he shouldn't of done that and just let her walk away, she was the only reason to go out on a limb like this. She was just like the teenage version of himself down to the offensive language.

She paced at the entrance looking at him suspiciously, "Anything I want? You back that up Commander?"

Kal was relieved when Jack answered without hesitation, "If I can get it for you I will, why don't you come aboard before more Blue Suns arrive?"

She grumbled shaking her head, "I know I'm going to regret this...I'll tear your ship apart if your lying..."

Garrus approached Kal's other side and whispered, "What a charming girl we've decided to bring along."

She folded her arms and glared at him, "You can bite me spiky jackass."

The Normandy sped away from the damaged space station avoiding cannon fire. Joker expertly danced and weaved the ship around the fire and headed back towards the Mass Relay. The station was probably going to survive but, she caused significant external damage. He could see fires floating into space from several locations in a straight line. Kal was trying to keep track of if any other ship leaving the station to see if Leng escaped but, they were too far away. If their relationship with the Blue Suns wasn't broken before, it was destroyed now. Garrus and Jack helped him get to the medbay where Chakwas was already waiting for him. The Doctor looked tired to see him yet again after Omega was so recent.

Chakwas started scanning him with her omni tool and a shake of her head, "At least I'm never bored, what happened?"

The girl sheepishly stood behind the three of them naked besides her tattoos, "I thought he was part of the Blue Suns, so I warped him into a wall. Turns out he works for someone far worse."

Kal added while sitting on one of the beds, "That was after Kai Leng decided he was going to try and kill me. Jack here saved my life, just gave me a back ache in the process." 

Jack narrowed his gaze at Kal, "You should've told me Leng was after you instead of telling me you'd just be delayed." He then looked at her with a smile, "Thank you for helping him, I owe you one. Did you both kill him at least?" 

Kal shrugged and looked up at the ceiling's intercom, "I don't know, EDI, did any other ship leave Purgatory station during our escape from the system?"

The AI's holographic blue orb appeared next to him, "Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question, The Illusive Man has code locked any queries regarding other Cerberus agents."

Jack groaned tapping his foot, "Well I guess that's answer enough. What's the verdict Doctor?" 

Chakwas had a small smile on her face looking at Kal, "Your father's genetic engineering never ceases to amaze me. Kal's going to be fine, a few cracked bones but they're already healing themselves. I want to stress that you should take it extremely easy for the next few days. Now, why don't we get you some clothes miss...?"

Zero shook her head stubbornly, "You can fuck off doc, I'm not here to make nice, I just want my files and then I'll leave."

Kal rubbed his helmet, getting her to stay here was going to be a problem. Should he even want her to say? They weren't going to places that would be safe for a rebellious teenager. On the other hand, he was sure The Illusive Man would snatch her up the first moment he got. While the Normandy wasn't the safest of places to be, he could make sure she wasn't going to be used. He had stayed with Shelrrik on Dekuuna because of his pilgrimage, Zero didn't have that responsibility. Kal was going to have to figure out a way to keep her here for the time being.

EDI chimed in, "Operative Lawson wanted me to inform you that The Illusive Man is waiting for you in the conference room."

Jack nodded and looked at Zero, "Your probably not the strangest thing he's ever seen, come on you can ask him for the files you want yourself."

Despite knowing he needed some down time, Kal followed both of them to the conference room slowly keeping some distance. Jack already seemed to be friendly with Zero but, he wanted to be there and stick up for her if need be. Instead of going inside with them, Kal stayed outside the pick up range so he could watch without being noticed. That same dying star hung behind The Illusive Man with it's same solar flare distortions. He wished he had taken more time in physics classes, he could've identified what nebula the star was in. Tali would've been able to point to a specific spot on the galactic map for the location without breaking a sweat. The first time he quit talking to her because of his exile it was easy, now though he missed his old friend.

The Illusive Man puffed on his cigarette looking totally relaxed in his seat, "Shepard, I was just telling Miranda that I had no idea Kai Leng was imprisoned in Purgatory, given your past, I would've made other arrangements. I'm glad to see you were able to rescue Subject Zero after all. I'll send you coordinates to a facility you can drop her off on."

Kal was about to step in when Jack said, "Forgive me if I don't believe you, but Leng being there was extremely convenient, even for you. As for Jack, I think she would be a fine addition to the crew. I want her to stay."

Zero spoke up angrily, "I don't really give a damn about what either of you want, I just want the file you people have on me and then I'll be going far away where no one can find me."

The smug little bosh'tet didn't react at all watching the smoke from his cigarette float to the ceiling, "You were the one that placed a bounty on her Miranda, what would you like to do here?"

It took a few seconds but, Miranda ultimately answered, "Well then, welcome to the Normandy, Jack. I'm Miranda, Shepard's second-in-command. On this ship, we follow orders."

Zero had a sarcastic tone, "From where I'm sitting it looks like the Quarian outside has more power than you do around here sweetheart. Tell the Cerberus cheerleader to back off, Shepard. I'm here because of our deal."

Miranda ignored her looking at Jack, "Do I need to put her in the holding cells? Just to be safe?"

Before Jack could respond, Zero smirked, "Yeah, no thanks, precious. I'll find my own place. Somewhere near the bottom. I don't like through traffic. Just make sure I get that file soon, I want everything about me that you have."

Surprisingly, The Illusive Man just pressed a button on his chair, "It's already sent to your omni tool, you'll find no redactions were made."

She instantly walked out of the room and Kal remembered she had been hungry and went to the mess hall. It didn't have much food he would've considered for a teenager but, he did see some bread and several jelly products. He remembered making something similar for Aaron Bowman on X57 and got to work. Kal definitely wouldn't try to claim he was a good chef at all, especially for Humans, however this looked right. Then again, Aaron had enjoyed anything he cooked so Kal wasn't super confident in his creation. He had two pieces of bread with one jelly on top of the first piece of bread and the other jelly on the bottom of the second. 

Vetra walked up on his left looking at the plate with mild horror, "Kal?.... What the hell are you making?"

He took a defensive tone, "I know it's not the best but I think it's called a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? It's for our newest addition to the crew going down to the cargo hold."

The Turian took the plate from him and dumped the slices of bread into the trash, "That wasn't whatever that was, here let me show you." He watched as she got some new bread and put the peanut butter on top of the jelly and then put the second slice on top of all of it, "There you go, I don't know how many of these I've made for Sid..."

He put a hand gently on her shoulder, "Did Kasumi have anything to tell you? Any new leads?"

She shook her head looking at the floor, "Not anything I can actually work with right now, I think I just have to wait until my name is forgotten a little.... I don't blame you by the way."

A silence followed with Kal not really knowing what to say to her, she must've figured out Erash was the traitor. Admittedly it wasn't exactly rocket science, the Batarian had been acting strange before the attack on Afterlife. He wanted her to blame him though, it was a lot easier facing someone that was angry with you rather than just upset with the situation you caused. Kal should've been smarter, asked him more questions, he was just so distracted with the possibility that Jack was still alive.

His tone was low trying to not grab anyone's attention, "Mand, if I had known Erash was involved with something like that I would've killed the bosh'tet myself. You know that right?"

Vetra squeezed his arm not answering him and grabbed a dextro apple, "It was my fault for keeping her with me on Omega in the first place. You should take the sandwich to the kid, teenagers are a lot hungrier than the rest of us."

He gave her his thanks and took the elevator down to the cargo hold. Unlike the original Normandy that used the hold to deploy to missions, this version used it strictly for storage. He was going to have to drag her out of here occasionally so she wouldn't be alone all the time. Kal wandered around for a minute until he found her sitting on a storage container reading from her omni tool. The device had to be as old as he was because of the way it flickered on and off. If his own pilgrimage was anything to go by, he guessed she probably stole the tool from someone.

Kal spoke loudly so he wouldn't scare her as he got closer, "I brought you some food because I remembered you were hungry."

She waved her hand dismissively, "Just put it on a crate next to me." A moment later she looked up at him, "I have to say, a tight little group you got here. And a damn pretty nice ship. You'd be rich if you took to piracy."

Kal put the sandwich down right next to her and stood across from her, "Would you believe me if I told you I already tried that, and recently? It didn't exactly turn out very well. But enough about me, how are you doing?"

She laughed but it was hollow, almost like a Varren bark, "How am I doing? The further I read into this I get thoughts like little bugs crawling in and out of my head. I can't stop them. You obviously know I have a history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?"

Kal felt awful for her but, he knew the usual phrases weren't going to matter to her so he just shrugged, "I can guess from all of the marks, but why don't you tell me yourself?"

She nibbled on the sandwich with a huff, "Apparently from the womb if this thing is telling the truth. Your pal, The Illusive Man? Never seen him before today, but Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base. I'm still finding out about me. Thanks for letting me look at these files."

Kal knew she couldn't see it but he tried to smile, "Believe me that fucker isn't mine or Jack's pal, we're just here because of complicated circumstances. At any rate, your welcome Jack. Have you found out anything new about yourself yet?"

Without skipping a beat she answered, "The doctors... the other kids... Every one of them hated me. They let me suffer. It was something about pain breaking down mental barriers, and how it might clear the way for a more biotic power. I'm sure there was a payoff due at some point, but I wasn't going to see it. I was wired up in a cell."

Kal was going to say she was the payoff but thought better of it, "How did you get off of Noveria and into the hands of the Blue Suns?"

Zero grumbled eating the crust around the bread, "I knew I had to leave when that piece of shit Quarian introduced the Rachni to torture us, so I started killing people. Doctors, kids, janitors, you name it.. They never gave me a choice. I stole a ship from the hangar and left to the closest system. Eventually, I got caught stealing from the Alliance and they sent me to Purgatory. What about you? Your a lot better off than I am for supposedly being infested with germs."

Kal listened quietly only to be thrown off by the question, "I ummm... It's a long story really, I got pretty lucky on my pilgrimage I suppose. Then I found my real family and never looked back at the fleet."

She seemed to know when to let something drop and changed topics, "The files say it was shut down after my escape. It's been abandoned for years. They going to care if I blow up a garbage dump?"

He shook his head surprised the files had something in them that was so wrong, "That's not exactly what happened. I was there when the facility was destroyed, let me explain.."

Kal went on to tell her how he ended up in the supposed orphanage and how it was destroyed. However, he was careful to leave out any knowledge he had about Cora's involvement. The last thing Zero needed now was someone to focus her anger on, especially if that someone was The Illusive Man's daughter. She would be practically invincible because of Cerberus. He remembered how much protection her fake Blue Suns base on Omega had so, he couldn't imagine what a real Cerberus base's security looked like. It was better for Zero if he convinced her everything about Noveria was over. Even if it took the rest of the night talking about it.

_o0o_

Jack understood immediately what had brought Kal and the biotic prisoner together; childhood experimentation. The environmental suit gave Kal the advantage of being able to hide his scars and other injection sites, the girl just seemed content with complex tattoos to cover her up. Knowing all this made it a no brainer to stick up for her against The Illusive Man. Why did he just grant his request without discussion though? It was a question that concerned him but, he couldn't do anything with it. They obviously had more to talk about since the conference room wasn't fading back to it's natural state.

He turned to look at Miranda, "Care to tell me why you were so interested in her? You don't seem like the kid type really."

Miranda had a clinical tone not taking the bait, "She's destroyed Cerberus property and killed Cerberus people. Hence the bounty."

The Illusive Man cut in, "Her reasons are her own Shepard. I contacted you because I think we have them! Horizon, one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems, just went silent."

Jack tensed with anticipation, finally they could go after the Collectors, "That's good news, I'll order the Normandy to head out there immediately. Are we sure it's the Collectors? Aria could be on the move herself in retaliation for the assassination attempt. When she links Cerberus to Archangel there will be retribution."

The Illusive Man shook his head, "Aria can't manipulate Mass Relay communications, there's a well established pattern Shepard. If the colony isn't under attack, it soon will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure for the seeker swarms?"

Miranda answered for him, "Not that I'm aware of no."

The Illusive Man finished his smoke, "Let's hope he works well under pressure. There's something else you should know Shepard. One of your former crew, Ashley Williams, she's stationed on Horizon."

Miranda raised an eyebrow obviously not knowing what to do with that information, "The Collectors just happened to pick a colony with one of Shepard's former crew? I don't buy it. What's she doing on Horizon?"

The Illusive Man filled his shot glass, "Officially, it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the colonies. But we both know that kind of work is beneath Williams, they're up to something. And if they sent Chief Williams, it must be big. Perhaps you should take it up with her?"

He nodded but was lost in thought, the implication they were trying to make was that the Collectors chose Horizon specifically because Ashley was there. The problem with that was the fact that the Reapers didn't hold grudges. If Victory was correct, the Reapers were slaves to completing the cycle. He had no doubt that Ashley was there for something bigger, just what was the question. In his mind, something else was on Horizon, something the Reapers needed. These were the types of moments that showed why he needed to work with Cerberus, the Alliance would've never caught something like this and it could effect the entire Galaxy.

Jack thought about all the innocent people on the ground, "We should contact Alliance command, they could send reinforcements and get the civilians to safety."

Miranda shook her head and crossed her arms, "I won't have another Freedom's Progress, we need to be the first ones in and out. Otherwise, our investigation will come up empty."

The Illusive Man swirled the drink in his hand, "I tend to agree with Miranda here. However, rest assured that once you have the situation under control, I'll send the message personally. Good luck Shepard."

With the argument apparently over, Jack only had one thing left to do; check up on Mordin's progress.


	23. Chapter 22: First Contact

Ashley looked at the readout for a third time and groaned, annoyed with the error symbols once again flashing across her omni tool. She was a soldier, could kill a Geth within just a few minutes, pretending to also be an engineer was a serious problem for her right now. It was on days like this that Ashley wanted to quit working in the AIA and go back to being a grunt on the frontlines, she would certainly have a much simpler life. The problem though was that unlike most of her colleagues that called Commander Shepard crazy, Ashley had seen Sovereign up close and knew it wasn't just some Geth ship. She stayed because Ashley knew that what was five hundred feet beneath her could change all of their minds. It was her way of honoring Shepard's memory.

The colony of Horizon was special in a lot of ways; it produced top of the line weapons technology, had a thriving multi-species community next to Batarian space, and most importantly, was sitting on top of an intact Prothean city. Much like the truly ancient city of Pompeii on Earth, this city had been buried under a layer of ash so thick that it was only discovered through deep drill mining. The Alliance would've swarmed the place decades ago for a chance at all the technology under the ground but, the people of Horizon were extremely independent. They believed that because they were on the surface first, they should decide when and how to research the ancient city. The Alliance wasn't willing to risk damage to the site through open war so, they sent her here instead.

Seeing the chief engineer march by, Ashley got up from her post to follow the woman, "Lilith! We've got a problem."

Lilith rolled her eyes taking a sarcastic tone, "Still can't calibrate the targeting matrix huh? Did you pay much attention to your instructors or not?"

Ashley sounded defensive of her 'work,' "I was top of my class, you know that, but I've never seen anything like this malfunction before. Those defense towers are useless if we don't figure it out. If you could just spare anyone else to help me work on it-"

Lilith interrupted her with a shake of her head, "Sorry Chief, getting our comm systems back online takes priority. We haven't been attacked in over twenty years, the defense towers can just be for show for another week."

Ashley knew there was no convincing her and so just took the defeat, "Yeah, okay your right. Surprised people haven't tried to blame the comms failure on me too."

Lilith looked back at her with an apologetic sigh, "People out here don't trust the Alliance. They seem to only be interested in getting the Prothean data under the ground and not the citizens who call Horizon home. It's nothing personal against you really."

It wasn't as though Ashley could blame her for the hesitation, she was indeed just here for the data. The people living out here were certainly a close community with plenty of unique talents but, the Alliance could give a damn about any community outreach here. If the brass could've come up with any way to remove these people without risking damage to the archaeological site, they would've. A part of Ashley felt depressed with the realization this was all just a show, then she remembered why she was here. If one small community had to be betrayed in order to get hard evidence on the Reapers, the sacrifice was worth it.

She was about to respond when Lilith pointed up into the sky, "What in all the galaxy is that.....?"

Ashley turned around to look at what Lilith had seen and immediately her heart stopped, a giant cigar shaped object floated strangely in mid air. She wouldn't call it a ship in the traditional sense, it was made of rock. Her instincts would've told her that it was an asteroid except for the fact that it was floating in low orbit like a dreadnought. Deep down Ashley already knew what she was seeing had something to do with the Reapers, maybe a new ship design? They both just stared at it paralyzed from the shock of seeing something like that, until the black clouds started flying out from the ship at top speed.

She grabbed the assault rifle strapped to her back, "Get everyone to the safe house. I'll cover you. Run!"

_o0o_

Jack stared out the cockpit viewport at what had to be the Collector ship, he could see the clouds of seeker swarm bots deploying from here. It had to be truly terrifying for the people on the ground to watch, which begged the question, why hadn't the colonists on Freedom's Progress panicked? The video Veetor provided showed everyone celebrating Christmas mere seconds before the attack. Surely someone would've looked up and saw the Collector ship approaching and warned the colony. The only explanation he could think of was that this was the first time the Collectors brought their ship for a raid. Horizon was obviously a different animal from every other colony they targeted, he just had to figure out why.

Usually in a situation like this, Jack would've wanted Kal to come along for his explosives expertise but, he was glad the Quarian had to rest his back. He wasn't exactly sure he was going to need bombs for sneaking around a colony full of bugs. Just like on Eden Prime, they needed to be quiet in a mission like this with overwhelming enemy numbers. The rest of the crew had all volunteered to go to the colony with him but, Mordin had stressed his seeker swarm jammer was only a prototype and he was only comfortable testing it with four people. So, the team was made up of himself, Mordin, Garrus, and Saren.

Kal's voice gently came through his omni tool, "Good luck down there Jack, call me if you need me."

Jack smiled down on his husbands face being projected on his arm, "Don't worry about me, Mordin said the jammer will work. Get some rest, I'll be back before you know it..." He shut down the comm whispering, "It'll be fine..."

Mordin walked up behind him as the Normandy made it's slow, stealth covered approach to the colony, "Truly fascinating. Collectors overly efficient at taking colony. Haven't fired a single shot, admirable."

Saren's gruff tone followed the Salarian's, "Yes, kidnapping millions upon millions of Humans would certainly have been admirable, forty years ago."

Garrus coughed taking his brother's flank, "I think what he was trying to say was the Collectors aren't doing anything good with those people and have to be stopped."

Mordin blinked for a few seconds sounding upset, "Oh of course, wasn't applauding work. Humans most likely test subjects for experimentation. Just observing a master at their craft."

Joker cut in sounding genuinely worried, "I'd hate to break up the wonderful academic discussion your having but, we're about to hit our drop point."

Jack gazed at Mordin with one last concerned look, "Your sure the jammer will work Mordin? If you have any doubts, now would be your last chance to say them."

Mordin gave him a soft shrug, "As certain as I can be with a prototype. Since the Collectors seem to only target Humans, you will be safe either way. If you get stung we will bring you back to the ship."

Garrus gave him a broad Turian smile, "If you get stung we'll take plenty of embarrassing vids with ya."

He laughed at Garrus' joke trying to calm him down, however, he wasn't exactly thrilled with that answer. The truth was it probably was the best he was going to get under the circumstances. The side door to the cockpit opened and Jack was the first to jump out to the ground below. Horizon looked like a small industrial colony, like something you'd see in a vid documentary highlighting the problems of pollution. For as far as his eye could see the soil was barren and there wasn't a tree in sight. It was jarring to see the smoke stack from the factories were still active while being surrounded by the seeker swarms.

A brief panic started to hit him when a small pack of the seekers started buzzing straight for him. Had it been too soon to expect Mordin to come up with a miracle from scratch? Just as Saren was getting ready to raise a biotic shield around him, the seekers turned around going in another direction harmlessly. Jack was still tense for the next few seconds until it was clear that the seekers were going to ignore them. Even though they were going to have to deal with the actual Collector troops, it was a relief to know he wasn't going to get kidnapped like everyone else.

Mordin let out a triumphant huff, "Can confirm seekers are synthetic then. Disruption of radio waves prevents Human identification. In a not so humble conclusion, I haven't lost my touch."

Garrus pointed at the sky back in the direction of the Collector ship, "Shepard look, I think they're sending down shuttles to pick up the colonists."

Jack indeed saw a dozen or more shapes the size of a Kodiak launch out of the Collector ship and towards the colony. He was tempted to order the Normandy into attacking them before they landed before ultimately deciding against it. Sure, he had no doubt Joker could've intercepted them with ease, he also knew the Collectors had more transports just waiting to launch. His best bet was to save just a few people so that they wouldn't be noticed. He hated that line of thinking but, he realized they had arrived too late to actually save this colony. They just had to use what they saw here to save the next colony.

With that in mind, Jack agreed, "It would make sense, we need to get to as many colonists as we can before those land. Once they do, we can't risk being seen."

Saren glanced at him for a few seconds seemingly surprised before answering, "A sound strategy, we can't hope to save everyone here and not be bombarded from orbit. I think we should just go around the outskirts of the colony, I'm sure there'll be a few stragglers we can reach without notice."

Jack still tell it was a little surreal that he was listening to Saren as part of his crew, "You heard him, let's go before those ships land."

They were able to run for a solid twenty yards before that plan came crashing down around them. It soon became clear that the actual Collectors only used the shuttles to transport the bodies and not themselves when they landed directly in front of them from their wings. Of course they would have wings, they were basically insects. Jack skid to a stop and slid behind cover when the Collectors started shooting at them. He looked behind him to make sure everyone had found cover only to see the Collectors projectiles literally burned a hole in the house they had been running past.

Mordin yelled over the sounds of gunfire, "Acid projectiles. Make sure you avoid skin contact. Will most likely burn through bones and armor!"

Jack took the chance to take a headshot on one of the distracted Collectors when Saren replied, "Thank you for stating the obvious doctor, do you actually have any good advice?"

Garrus threw a smoke grenade over his head while he was in cover and yelled, "I think aim for the head is a pretty good tip if you ask me. Works every time."

While the four of them were able to keep up with the Collectors on the ground, unfortunately, more and more reinforcements kept coming. It felt like whenever Jack was able to get a good shot off and kill one of them, another immediately landed in it's place ready for a fight. Jack was typically comfortable holding ground until the enemy pulled back but, the Collectors were different. Not knowing how many Collectors were present on a ship of that size, he had no way of judging how much damage they were causing to their numbers. If the ship performed similarly to the Everest, this firefight was a drop in the bucket for them. The other issue was that they were running out of safe cover because of the acid weaponry.

Jack got up from his cover at a crouch and started pulling back, "Everyone get back to the Kodiak, there's no way we're going to win this fight."

Saren was glowing blue with biotic energy and glared at the advancing Collectors, "No, we can make them pull back! I suggest you all get down now."

He felt like he needed to argue with Saren and make him realize that they needed to retreat when the Turian let out a wave of biotic energy. Jack compared the force of the wave with that of a ship sized bomb going off. Collector trooper's bodies flew in multiple directions at awkward angles slamming into everything around them. Not even the indoctrinated Saren could produce this kind of biotic energy and that was saying something. When the dust settled, no more Collectors were flying towards them. The shuttles were still making their way towards the colony but, the four of them finally had some space.

Saren clutched at his stomach breathing heavily and Garrus quickly got to him with a pack of medi gel, "You ok...?"

Mordin tapped his chin lost in thought, "Eezo discharge.. Rare skill usually only found among Asari justicars. Mother perhaps? No. Asari children are always Asari. Hmm, must've trained in the Turian cabal. Will come in handy with future research."

The Turian rolled his neck around taking a deep breath, "I'll be fine, just don't expect any biotic acrobatics for awhile."

Jack kept looking around worried more Collectors were going to show up at any moment, "We should keep moving, I'm sure the Collectors will swing back around any second now."

A deep metallic familiar voice echoed from one of the dying Collectors laying next to him, "Shepard, you have achieved nothing. The cycle will continue no matter how hard you desperately claw at what you do not understand."

He didn't need to ask who it was, that robotic superior sounding voice was Sovereign. It didn't seem possible, he had literally been crushed by a piece of Sovereign's debris two years ago. And yet, Jack knew in his bones that voice could only belong to Sovereign. Even if all the Reapers waiting for them in dark space had the exact same vocabulator, the tone was specific to Sovereign himself. That only left him with a billion questions, an he was sure the Reaper wouldn't answer him even if he asked.

Garrus approached the dying Collector with a pistol in hand, "Sorry, we aren't interested in talking. Why don't you leave a message?"

Jack was more than happy to let him kill the talking Collector when Saren grabbed his arm, "Not yet." He wearily looked down to it, "What do you want? Why attempt to continue a broken cycle? We've won."

Sovereign answered in a flat, cold voice, "You are more arrogant then we first believed. To think destroying my shell changed the cycle is hubris on your part. The forge will grant me a new shell, one I will use to signal the coming storm. You have only slightly delayed the inevitable and will be destroyed."

Saren took Garrus' gun and pulled the trigger, "That was for Nihlus you bastard."

Jack knew that he wouldn't have gotten anything more out of Sovereign but, he had debated on trying. Still, just that little piece of information was revealing enough for now. He now knew that Sovereign was alive and still believed the cycle could be salvaged. Also, there was a place called the forge somewhere in the galaxy that could potentially rebuild Sovereign for another attack. What he didn't know was how the Collectors kidnapping Humans in the Terminus Systems was connected to that.

EDI's voice came through his omni tool, breaking the momentary silence, "Shepard, I am detecting Prothean weaponry strong enough to take down the Collector ship somewhere beneath you. I am sending you the likely coordinates to that location now."

Garrus took a long breath, "Great, just when I thought we could leave the colony full of friendly talkative bugs, you give us a reason to stay."

Mordin kept a professional tone as always, "If kidnappings are connected to forge, destroying the ship would slow down Reaper production. If lucky, could halt production indefinitely. Lots of ifs.... Worth the risk though."

Jack's eyes widened with hope, they had the opportunity to destroy that ship, "On our way EDI, make sure the Normandy stays out of scanner range, they know we're here..."


	24. Chapter 23: Her Full Power

Following EDI's directions was turning out to be easier said than done with all of the Collector troopers running around the area. Jack made sure that he and the others snuck by as many as possible and while Garrus and Mordin kept close, Saren was on a bit of a rampage. Whenever the four of them would pass by a Collector looking the other way, Saren would risk alerting a whole squad just to kill one. A part of it was just Saren's nature, however, Jack was sure that Sovereign's appearance had shook the Turian. He couldn't blame Saren, it had to be terrifying knowing that the thing which had enslaved you was actually still kicking around. Jack was worried about the implications of what Sovereign said himself. The violent outbursts were just inconvenient when trying to remain stealthy.

When the four of them reached the end of an alleyway, Jack slowed the group to a stop so that he could figure out where they were. He could see they were entering what seemed like the main square for the colony, shops lined the exterior walls and a water fountain was directly in the center. The place would've looked totally peaceful if it wasn't for the Human bodies surrounded by the orange energy keeping them in place everywhere he looked. While some of the Collectors were grabbing people and placing them into small cocoon like pods, the majority of the troopers were attaching beacons to the water fountain. Jack watched puzzled by what they could be doing instead of capturing the colonists as quickly as possible.

Saren snarled ready to charge into the field at any moment, "Shepard, what are we waiting for? They're never going to just let us pass no matter how long we stare at them."

Mordin answered just before he could, "Collectors exhibiting new behavior not previously reported. Observation could lead to new avenues of research. Best to wait them out."

Jack agreed with Mordin with a nod, "He's right, we don't want to go out there without knowing what they're up to. The shuttles aren't here yet so we have time to save some of the colonists."

Saren looked to Garrus and gave an irritated huff, "I thought you said he was smart."

Garrus rolled his eyes not feeling any sympathy for Saren, "He took you down didn't he? We aren't going to get anywhere if we just charge in blindly not knowing what's going on."

Jack was still debating what to do when he saw several Collectors carrying Ashley towards one of the pods. While he knew she was stationed on the planet, he had hoped she found safety somewhere. Unfortunately, the set of white and pink Phoenix armor was extremely recognizable, there was no way that wasn't her. That gave him two options; either he could let them take her so they could continue observing the Collectors, or, he could follow Saren's advice and go in guns blazing. Even though it was important to find out what the Collectors were up to, he wasn't about to leave anyone behind.

He turned his head towards Saren and gave him a smile, "Start making some noise, just make sure you don't drift too far. Garrus, follow him and make sure we don't attract every Collector on the planet. Mordin, study the beacons they're placing on the water fountain, I want to know what's going on here."

Garrus raised a browplate trying to hide the fact he was confused, "Ok then, forget everything I just said... What are you going to do?"

Jack made sure his assault rifle had plenty of ammo left and pointed in Ashley's direction, "Saving her I hope, wish m-"

A shout from Saren cut him off and all out hell broke loose. The Turian had a shotgun in hand as he started cutting a path through the Collector forces towards the water fountain where several squads were clumped together. Garrus used the jetpacks attached to his feet to fly up on top of a building's roof to provide sniper support for the group. By the time the Collectors realized what was happening, Jack was already halfway to Ashley's pod while sprinting towards her. He let off two quick shots at the Collectors carrying her, unintentionally sending her paralyzed body crashing to the ground.

Just as he was about to take her hand and drag her to safety, Sovereign's voice came from behind him, "Assuming direct control."

He felt as though his foot was grabbed by some invisible force before his head hit the ground and he was dragged backwards towards the fountain. Jack rolled over and gazed at the Collector that Sovereign obviously took control of. A green light was coming off of the Collector between cracks in it's brown carapace and it's biotics were a black ink color. He remembered seeing a similar biotic power coming from Saren when he was fully indoctrinated, it gave Jack a thousand questions. Could Sovereign do that to all the Collectors at once? Did they have the same potential that Saren had on the Citadel? He knew how much it took out of his team to kill Saren, could they kill multiple?

Saren used a blade attached to his boot to kick at a Collector behind him, slitting it's throat, before he turned around and fired at Sovereign. Jack's stomach twisted in knots when he saw the Collector raise it's palm and catch the bullets just like Saren had on multiple occasions in their previous battles. Knowing they had only been able to defeat Saren when he had been distracted, Jack took multiple shots at Sovereign. The Collector let go of his foot to block the other set of bullets coming at it. Jack rolled out of the way yet again to avoid the deflection and he heard Garrus' jetpacks swoop in and pushed Saren out of the way.

Jack got back up to his feet and started moving in a circle and shooting at the same time, "Everyone just start shooting at him! He can't take all of us on."

Saren grunted while darting from cover to cover while avoiding Sovereign's biotic attacks, "Was I this hard to take down?"

Garrus was acting like a tiny fighter jet, making air attacks with his jetpacks, "Harder because we didn't know how to kill you, this is a cake walk in comparison."

Jack watched as Garrus tossed a grenade towards Sovereign's feet while it was exploding. The Collector wrapped the explosion in a ball of biotic energy and hurled it towards Garrus. If it wasn't a life or death struggle, Jack would've appreciated the beauty in the way Garrus used his jetpacks to spin around and avoid the fireball. As Jack and Garrus kept up the pressure to distract Sovereign, Saren finally got close enough to break it's wrist. He watched as Saren used a complicated set of punches and kicks to snap it's neck. Hopefully, some of Saren's reckless anger towards Sovereign was let go.

Saren glared in Garrus' direction with a furious tone, "What were you thinking with that?! The explosion could've killed you if you weren't careful."

Garrus had a smug Turian smirk on his face as he landed next to them, "I was thinking that I needed to help my brother and best friend. I wasn't going to sit on the sidelines watching you two fight that thing. It worked didn't it?"

Saren grumbled about to say something else when Jack cut in, "Garrus knows how to handle himself just fine Saren, you don't have to constantly worry about him."

The Turian whipped a familiar angry stare in his view, "I suggest staying out of things that don't concern you Shepard." He gave Garrus a softer glance, "Just think about the consequences next time."

Mordin returned to them from the water fountain frowning, "No time to argue strategy. Analyzed beacons completely. Discovered they are commonly used in asteroid towing. Very curious for planetary use."

Garrus tapped his chin lost in thought, "The Collectors aren't idiots with technology, why would they use something so useless in this environment..?"

EDI answered within their comms, "Theoretically, if the Collector dreadnought could generate a truly massive amount of energy, they could be using the beacons for their original designed function. They could power up tractor beams and lift a portion of the ground off of the planet. If a Prothean weapon is indeed under the colony, the Collectors could be attempting to destroy it."

Jack didn't think it was possible to take a chunk out of planet, the energy involved was astronomical. Then again, everything Sovereign had accomplished seemed to break some sort of fundamental scientific rule so, he shouldn't rule it out. If that's really what the Collectors were about to do, they needed to find the Prothean weapon right now. However, despite the fact that they were standing right on top of the marker EDI provided to their omni tools, Jack didn't see anything that looked like it could be a Prothean weapon with enough power to destroy that ship. EDI hadn't led him in a wrong direction thus far, so he had to be missing something.

He kept looking around the square desperately searching for a way to get underground, "EDI I need you to help me out here, I'm at the coordinates you sent and I'm not seeing any way to get underground."

EDI replied immediately in her typical calm tone, "The colonists must've hidden the access control panel to the vault somewhere within the town square. However, at my current estimate, the Collector dreadnought will be within tractor beam range in forty five seconds. I recommend a full retreat back to the Kodiak so you aren't sucked up with it."

He was surprised when Kal's voice came through the comm, "Do I have your permission to engage that kriffing ship with the Normandy's guns Jack?"

Jack wished they had a visual connection so he could give him a skeptical expression, "I don't think the Normandy's guns are strong enough to make a dent in that thing are they?"

Kal sounded worried but responded with, "Just trust me on this, I think we can destroy that ship without hidden Prothean tech."

Jack paced around the courtyard seeing all the colonists bodies still paralyzed. There was too many of them still here to carry back to the Kodiak safely and get out in time. The most logical option would've been to just leave the colonists here and fight another day, these people were already paralyzed from the seeker swarms and he had no idea how long that would last. It wasn't right though, if there was any way to save the colonists and the Prothean weapon under the ground, they needed to take it. He didn't know what Kal had come up with while just sitting around the ship but, he trusted him.

Jack looked up at the Collector ship approaching and bit his lower lip, "Whatever it is do it now. Joker, get the Normandy into combat range."

Joker sighed pretending to be upset, "You know, if I got a credit for everytime you asked me to do something suicidal, I would be filthy rich right now. Imminent destruction coming right up Commander."

As the Normandy swooped in above them, EDI's voice returned, "Warning, I am detecting an alarming power spike to the drive core. It is on the verge of overheat and failure."

The other Jack's voice yelled into his ear, "That would be me...! Ahhhh! Kal hurry up you asssshhhooollleee!"

He didn't put together what was happening until the Normandy fired it's main guns. The normal short laser beam was instead a long blue stream with biotic energy wrapped around it. He knew Jack was powerful after watching what she did to Purgatory prison but, this was something else entirely. She must've made physical contact with the drive core itself and used her biotics to enhance it's power. Normally, getting that close to an active drive core would be suicide from the radiation but, she could probably put a biotic shield around herself to keep her safe. He couldn't help but smile as the beam cut through the front of the Collector ship like it was butter. 

Joker cheered as the Normandy flew past the destruction getting ready to make another pass, "Yeah! Take that you son of a bitch! Round two coming up."

EDI's answer to the cheer made his happiness vanish as soon as it had arrived, "Mr. Moreau, we advise taking evasive action. From our cameras we can see Subject Zero is unconscious in engineering."

Kal sounded panicked, "Damnit, I told her she couldn't handle it but, she wouldn't listen to me. Looks like we'll have to destroy that thing another time. Damnit!"

Jack was about to tell the others to start moving back towards the Kodiak when he saw the Collector ship start heading into orbit. While he knew their main gun was out of the fight, the Collectors didn't and were retreating. It pained him to see so many shuttles also return to the dreadnought, that meant he hadn't saved everyone. Jack had been putting hope on the Prothean weapon under the ground, it wasn't to be. Instead, only a handful of colonists were saved and Sovereign had escaped, not a successful mission in his eyes.

Saren shook his head staring up at the escaping vessel, "We played our hand too quickly Shepard. The Collectors will be prepared for that the next time we meet them."

Mordin seemed the most positive about what happened out of the rest of them, "Unlikely, not even best kinetic barriers could block that much power. Mission was a success regardless. Learned swarms are synthetic, saved several colonists. Would call this a good days work."

Garrus suddenly stepped infront of Saren completely, "Williams put down the gun, Saren's on our side here."

Jack followed Garrus' gaze only to see Ashley was standing up again with her assault rifle pointed at all of them. While it was a surprise to see she had recovered from the paralysis, he wasn't stunned by the gun. From her perspective, he and Saren had risen from the dead and were working together. Then there was the fact that he was wearing Cerberus armor which would've given her the impression he was a terrorist now. To show her he didn't mean any harm, Jack put his weapon down slowly and then put his hands up.

Her tone was angry and aggressive as she fired a warning shot, "Our side? What exactly does our side mean Garrus? All I see are people we thought were dead working with the enemy."

Jack kept a placating tone and took a cautious step closer, "The side against the Reapers Ash, you know me."

Ashley gritted her teeth and took a step backwards, "The Shepard I knew wouldn't work with Cerberus. Especially after what they did to your oh so important Quarians."

Garrus spoke up for him, "Things are complicated Williams, Sovereign is back in play. Cerberus is the only ones willing to do a damn thing about it."

Jack added calmly, "I never died Ashley, Cerberus captured me and put me in a cryo pod for two years."

He was just trying to keep her from shooting any of them with that high powered rifle. They certainly had heated arguments on the original Normandy but, he never thought she was going to kill him. Unfortunately, Jack could see the anger and sense of betrayal sparking through her eyes. She must've lost someone close to her because of Cerberus in the two years he had been frozen. With a loss like that he was probably only going to be able to convince her to let them go. At least that was what he was hoping for, otherwise things were going to get violent.

She just gave him a confused look, "And you worked with them even after that?! Why in the hell would you reward them for doing that?"

Jack tried not to get frustrated, "Because I'm looking at the bigger picture here Ashley. With the galaxy at stake I can't afford to hold grudges. Sovereign just told me that the cycle isn't over yet. I have to do everything I can to stop him."

He could see Ashley's finger get closer to the trigger, "I can't believe what I'm hearing, your talking just like Saren did two years ago. I have to take you in Jack. You have a lot to answer for."

Without warning, Mordin threw one of his cryo grenades over his head and it freezed her from her feet all the way up to her neck, "Don't have time for philosophical debate. Need to get back to lab, study new findings. Will be long gone when she thaws out."

Jack sighed and gave her an apologetic glance, "Yeah, let's get off this rock..."


	25. Chapter 24: Fields of Green

Feron stepped out of the Kodiak shuttle to a very familiar sight; another empty and seemingly abandoned Human colony. Like all of the others in the Terminus, every last colonist had vanished into thin air. The reason he was out here though was that Ferris Fields wasn't some far flung settlement in the middle of nowhere, it was one Mass Relay jump away from Eden Prime. It was the closest attack to Alliance space yet. Cerberus thought he was out here on their behalf to observe the Alliance's investigation, the truth was he and Vega were investigating for the AIA. At least he could be more like himself in this half of his double life.

Arnold groaned at the sight of no one in the colony, "This is bad rana, why would the Collectors come attack here? It isn't like Freedom's Progress where we were manufacturing mechs, these people are just farmers."

He nodded and started looking for any signs of life, "No, but farmers are vulnerable and easy to capture or kill. This isn't about strategy or trying to cripple the Alliance, the Collectors just want a vast quantity of your species."

Arnold was clearly frustrated with that answer when he replied, "Why the fuck would the Collectors want us?! It makes no sense Feron, we aren't anything special. If they just wanted meat, the Elcor would do the trick."

The Drell bent down looking at a diamond that must've broken off of something on the ground, "That's what we're here to find out Arnold. Have a look around the colony and see if you find anything out of the ordinary."

Even though the Alliance officially stated that the 'relatively few' colonial abductions were caused by pirates, some in the brass knew better. Specifically, Admiral Hackett who believed all of Shepard's warnings after seeing Sovereign attack the Citadel. He was the one to pull them from their assignment, at least for a few weeks so they could figure out what was really going on. While Feron was glad to get some temporary distance from hunting The Illusive Man, he was worried their chances of containing Cerberus was slipping away from them. He watched the Cerberus field office on Illium grow by the day, and there were hundreds of offices on other worlds just like it. Just killing The Illusive Man himself might not be enough to shut them down anymore.

While it seemed as though there wasn't anything to find here, Ferris Fields had extremely tall, green grass which went up to his wrists. It appeared as though that when disturbed, the grass permanently rested in that position. Unlike the other colonies hit, this planet gave them natural evidence all around them. It wouldn't be enough to convince the more skeptical members of the Alliance Joint Chiefs that something wrong was happening but, it was a start. If only a rural community like this one had security cameras, then they could've had physical proof.

Looking over the scene pulled him into a memory, "The pink Hanar floats above me, it's tentacles long and thin rubbing along my neck reassuringly. 'This one recommends Feron take in every detail of every environment. Only then can you be one with the Enkindlers.' His song like voice-" 

Arnold cut the memory short sounding angry, "I don't need to know what a Hanar sounds like Feron. I've seen plenty on the Citadel. We need to focus on finding something, anything that could confirm Collector or Cerberus involvement."

He followed a trail of bent grass with a nod, "I'm sorry your right, sometimes I can't help but remember my childhood.."

Of course Vega already knew that from their two full years of working together, however, Feron couldn't help but notice that his Human partner had been pretty shooken up after seeing Shepard. Feron knew it wasn't jealousy, Arnold seemed more than happy that Shepard was with his siha once more. Instead, Vega was troubled by the fact that Shepard was still working with Cerberus even after he told him everything that happened to him on Akuze. Feron truly believed that it was a difficult situation, Cerberus was the only ones capable of going after the Collectors at this point. Arnold on the other hand could only see the immediate problem of Cerberus and wanted them defeated.

Arnold took a deep breath and had an apologetic tone, "Sorry rana, I'm just so frustrated we're spinning our wheels right now. I want to do something after all these years of pretending to be a xenophobe."

Feron understood and nodded gently, "I get it Vega, I've only been in for two and a half years and it's hard. We need to be patient and gain their trust for a little while longer, and in the meantime let Shepard save the day."

Arnold grumbled as they continued walking towards a few scattered buildings, "That's what you said on Omega, a year and a half ago."

He was about to answer him when he saw what they were looking for, "There's the communications hub, let's see if the Collectors had time to wipe the data clean."

With the sheer amount of Human colonies hit by now, the Alliance was able to identify a consistent pattern of events leading up to an attack. First, the system in question's Mass Relay would lose it's communications functions. Second, the colonies internal defenses and comms would mysteriously go offline for no apparent reason. Third, every Human would vanish into thin air without much of a fight at all. And finally, the Mass Relay's comms would come back online and the workers aboard notified Alliance command of the problem. Like clockwork every colony hit followed this same formula. At first, Feron believed the Collectors themselves were shutting down the Relays when they arrived and departed but, that idea didn't make much sense. The workers would've noticed a Collector vessel flying by. His hope was the internal comms would show him the missing piece of the puzzle.

Arnold drummed his fingers along the stock of his shotgun, "I'm going to guess they had plenty of time, the workers on the New Canton Relay said it was five hours before everything was restored."

Feron tapped the buttons on the console looking over data, "It looks like we have some luck for once, an external VI handles arrivals and departures from the colony." He frowned staring at the screen, "Thirty unknown shuttle craft were the last things in and out of the system."

Arnold gave him a grim look, "Those shuttles must be how the Collectors were able to kidnap the entire colony. See what came directly before that if you can, if it's another unknown ship I think it's safe to say the Collectors are the only ones responsible."

Feron did what Vega asked and scrolled upwards, upon seeing the name he snapped into another memory, "The artificial cold air of Omega bit at my clothes as I followed my target. Her voice seemed calm, not sensing any danger. 'You know what I miss most about home Feron? The fields of green. They would go on and on for miles outside my property. I tried to plant a patch of roses once but my dad always told me it would ruin the green. I think I named my ship the Red Rose out of spite to that.'"

Arnold stared at him in horror, "You can't be serious.... Your telling me Cora Harper was here before the attack...?"

Feron's gut twisted from all the truly terrifying implications running through his head right now, "Not necessarily, I'm telling you her ship was here before the attack...and every attack prior to that..."

_o0o_

Jack walked back onto the ship wondering about the other Jack's health. Kal wouldn't have put her in danger knowingly, he heard the fear in the Quarian's voice when EDI informed them she had passed out. Through their shared experiences, Kal seemed to be protecting her like any father would. He definitely wasn't going to try and get in the middle of it, she needed someone to take care of her. However, she could've bit off more than she could chew with the drive core. Maybe it was a good idea to keep her out of combat situations so she wouldn't hurt herself.

With that in mind, Jack went into the medbay and was surprised to see just Kasumi sitting on one of the beds, "My, my, someone's ears are burning. We were just talking about you Commander."

He was about to respond when Doctor Chakwas' laughter cut him off, "Just talking hehehe....more like gossiping really."

Jack couldn't help but stare at the doctor in shock, "Karin are you drunk? I'm not mad or anything, I'm just surprised."

Karin smiled broadly in his direction, "Why yes Commander, I am utterly smashed. Kasumi here came in with a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy and I couldn't say no to a friendly talk."

Kasumi was sipping on a glass herself, "Don't tell Mandar...oh I'm sorry, 'Vetra' I stole her bottle. I gave it to her as a celebration gift for shacking up with the second most famous Turian in the galaxy. It apparently didn't work out so I think I had the right to take the bottle back."

Jack's eyebrows shot up from the implications of what she said, "Wait a minute, your telling me Mandaria and Garrus...were a thing?"

Kasumi rolled her eyes and took a sarcastic tone, "No, I obviously meant Seritus Optima, star of Fleet and Flotila." She let her words hang for a few seconds, "Of course I'm talking about Garrus, gods your dump. Why else would she throw her entire gang into one of his operations? I think it was just a comfort kind of fling for them both, they were the only two souls on Omega that thought it could actually be turned into something good. Romantic but, sad in the end."

Jack felt like he had just learned way too much about his best friends and needed to get back on track, "Did the other Jack come through here? EDI suggested she passed out in engineering."

As if on que, EDI appeared right next to him, "While Subject Zero received minor physical harm from interfacing with the drive core, she is refusing to accept medical treatment. My scanners indicate Kal is doing what he can for her in the cargo hold. Before you go however, The Illusive Man would like to have a conversation with you regarding Horizon."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow, "Uh oh, looks like someone got in trouble for messing with daddy's toys."

Jack rubbed his temples wondering what he could possibly want now, "I'll be right there EDI, you two have a good rest of your gossip session."

He left without another word and was thankful that the rest of the ship was quiet and ignored him. When The Illusive Man's chamber inevitably materialized in the conference room, Jack couldn't help but wonder legitimately if the man in the chair ever left the room. He was always wearing that exact same business suit and was smoking. He was sure it was just a tactic to make him look timeless and intimidating. Jack just saw it as The Illusive Man seemed to be stuck in a time just before the First Contact War.

Not surprisingly, The Illusive Man greeted him with a puff from his cigarette, "Shepard, good work on Horizon. Hopefully, the Collectors will think twice before attacking another one of our colonies."

Jack couldn't help but look a little defeated, "We still lost people, I couldn't save everyone on the outskirts. Not to mention, Sovereign is still alive and wanting to continue the cycle."

Despite what he just said, The Illusive Man's tone was upbeat, "That's better than an entire colony, and more than we've accomplished since the abductions began. You made a good call with Subject Zero, you should both be proud of the lives you saved today."

Jack stared at him a little stunned, "Did you hear me? Sovereign is somehow still alive and thinks he can restart the cycle. I think that's a pretty big thing we should be worried about."

The Illusive Man played with his empty scotch glass, "We always knew that the Collectors and Reapers were working together Shepard, I'm not sure what's new here. Your encounter with Sovereign confirmed what was known about the situation."

Jack knew it was the truth but it didn't make him feel any better, "What about the potential Prothean weapon EDI detected under the ground of Horizon. Could it be something we could use?"

He shrugged putting out his cigarette, "It's hard to say with all of the Alliance ships flooding into the area. Even if we could control the dig site, EDI's scan indicated it will take years to dig it up. I don't think we can wait that long, Sovereign is on the move."

Jack wished that could've been an easy option but he was right, they couldn't wait years for a miracle, "Alright then, what's our next steps?"

The Illusive Man stood up and approached him, "We have to keep the pressure on the Collectors. They'll be more cautious with their ground operations, so we need another opening."

Jack didn't love the sound of that taking a cautious tone, "Do you have something specific in mind?"

He shook his head looking grim, "Unfortunately, no the Collectors have disappeared back to their hide out. Rest assured I'm devoting all resources to finding a way through the Omega-4 Relay. We have to hit them where they live."

Jack couldn't help but get a sarcastic edge to his voice, "It's good to hear you do more than sit around and look at the pretty view."

The Illusive Man let the joke roll off of him, "As I told you, I wouldn't sit and wait while the Reapers and Collectors gather strength. In the meantime, you should head to Illium, I know a mechanic there that could repair your drive core. Also, there's an assassin there that I think could be useful."

Jack took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves about Sovereign, "Will do I guess, but the moment you have something let me know. We have no idea how close Sovereign is to rebuilding a shell."

He returned to his seat looking relaxed as ever, "You don't have to remind me what's at stake here Shepard. When I have something, you'll be the first to know."

The room returned to normal and Jack decided to go down to the cargo hold. Maybe he could just focus on helping Kal take care of the girl for the time being.


	26. Chapter 25: Bonding Time

Jack went down the elevator to the cargo hold wondering how long it would take the Collectors to repair their ship. If the ship had been of a normal class, like something produced out of Elysium, he would've assumed it would be months before it returned. However, given the fact that he was dealing with the Reapers, they would be lucky if the Collectors weren't kidnapping more people by the end of the week. Either way, Jack was running out of time, surely Arnold was getting close to making his move against The Illusive Man. He still hadn't figured out what his next move would be if the Alliance ended Cerberus before he stopped the Collectors.

The door opened to the dark cargo hold and Jack had to wonder why the other Jack would stay down here. If he had just gone through what she had, he would want to surround himself with people to keep him company. Then again, the majority of the crew here were part of the organization responsible for everything she experienced so why would she? He considered maybe talking to Kal about sending her to Grissom Academy, they would be able to take care of her and not in a warzone. The problem was Kai Leng was free, and he had no doubt that The Illusive Man would send the assassin after her the second she left the Normandy.

Kal's patient voice gave him a direction to walk in, "You need to at least be scanned, I'm not a doctor. If you have any internal damage from absorbing that much eezo, we need to know about it."

The girls' angry voice could've probably been heard for miles around if they were outside, "Did you think this was my first time to be hit with too much eezo? I dealt with that shit for years back on Noveria. How could you even ask me to go get a medical scan from them! Huh?!" She tossed a piece of omni paper at him, "Read this and tell me I need a scan from them."

Kal took a deep breath, obviously not wanting to read what she threw at him, "Subject Zero, age ten diary number 60,894. The subject is showing remarkable progress after we started using venom in her food." He sighed before continuing, "She managed to....break the necks of three other subjects without even looking at them. I recommend we begin injecting the venom into her monthly and tell her it's to calm her down...."

She was glaring at his faceplate, "Now, I want you to look me in the eye and tell me I should go upstairs to that little old lady and get looked at! What if she inject me with something like that and I start killing people on this ship?"

The implication of her last question was painfully obvious Jack thought as he walked closer to where he could hear them. She was worried about killing Kal in an outburst of biotic energy. While he hadn't of thought about that up until now, she actually had a point. If Kal didn't have the advanced genetic engineering from his father, she would've snapped his back in two on their first meeting. He should've been worried about a repeat incident but, the fact she was the one bringing it up made Jack feel better. She was starting to care about Kal's well being and that made him smile.

Kal didn't say anything for a few seconds, "Do you not remember I've been through this too? My own father was the one doing the experiments so don't assume I can't understand what your going through right now."

Jack stepped around the corner after knocking on the cargo container she was staying behind, "Doctor Chakwas isn't like that at all, she was part of the Alliance on the original Normandy before it's destruction. She's just a part of Cerberus now because she's dedicated to all of her patients. You should really get yourself scanned, some damage could be permanent."

She couldn't directly argue with him and thus just glared at him, "What do you care Shepard? I'm just an extra piece of furniture to you that you have to keep around so I'm not used against you later."

Jack shook his head quickly and gave her a smile, "That is not true at all, I care about every single member of my crew and I'm worried about you. What you did back on Horizon saved at least half of the colony. Your a hero Jack and I don't want you to forget that today."

She blinked a few times in disbelief, "Don't bullshit me Shepard, did I really save half the colony?"

He didn't know for certain an exact number but he could see it was what she needed to hear right now, "The Alliance is still doing a head count but, that's what early estimates are saying. You should be proud Jack, you did more than I was able to do on my own against the Collectors so far."

She gave him a smirk, "Mind if I get a holo recorder and get you to say that again? I'd love to see the look on the Blue Suns faces if they heard that coming from you. I still don't feel like I need a pointless scan though."

Kal walked up to her to pat her shoulder, "What if Chakwas shows me how to run the scan and I show her the results? That way she's barely involved and you just have to trust me. Do you trust me to do that?"

Jack could practically see the wheels turning in her head as she tried to come up with an answer. It was clear she trusted Kal but, at the same time, still didn't want the scan. He couldn't really blame her either, if his only type of relationship with medical professionals was through horrific experiments, he wouldn't want to see a doctor either. Little by little they would get her to trust again, maybe even convince her to go to college when all this was over. The look she was giving them made it clear that like it or not, she needed someone to actually care about her for something more than her biotics.

She didn't want to seem defeated at all but answered with, "Fine I'll do it, just...make sure Cerberus doesn't try anything ok?"

Kal seemingly let out a breath and the three of them started heading back to the elevator, "You have my word, no one in Cerberus will be able to touch you ever again."

EDI's voice came to them once they were in the elevator, "Shepard, I am detecting an unusual amount of hostility coming from the engineering bay. I would recommend checking in on Vakarian and SPECTRE Arterius when you are able."

Jack thought he was going to start laughing when the teenager responded with, "How the hell do you measure hostility in a room?"

EDI proudly answered, "I am able to monitor hormone levels of everyone on the Normandy and compare it with the galactic average. For example, I am able to determine that Kal and Shepard have had intercou-"

Kal cut her off, "Thank you EDI, Shepard will be right there." He tapped the engineering floor and whispered in Jack's ear, "Thank you for helping me down there."

Jack exited the elevator and turned around to give her a reassuring smile, "I'll be checking up on you both when I'm done here."

The door closed again and Jack had to wonder what Garrus and Saren could possibly be fighting about now. Even though there was a little tension over Garrus' more risky maneuvers, the two of them seemed to get along. Jack doubted Garrus could've seriously done anything dangerous in engineering so what did they have to fight about? His only guess was that Garrus had been blocked from attending his mother's funeral. It had appeared as though Garrus was over it when he saw the brothers talk but, could you ever really completely move past it? 

When he entered the engineering bay, Jack realized he had misunderstood the problem. At one end of the room, Garrus and Saren were sharing a single monitor and at the other end, two Humans were doing the same. It felt like he was watching a recreation of the immediate aftermath of the First Contact War. Both sides knew they had to work together and yet, wanted to kill each other deep down. It had been easy to forget that Miranda and Jacob's tolerance for the alien crew members didn't translate down the entire Cerberus chain of command. They were still an organization that promoted Humanity first.

The Human female turned around and saluted, "Commander Shepard, I'm Gabby and this is Ken, we're part of the engineering team."

Ken glared at her, "Now your just pulling my leg to get me to turn around, no way does the Commander Shepard come to see us."

Jack coughed with a slight smile, "I think you'd probably be surprised."

Ken looked as though he was about to jump a few feet off the ground before spinning around to salute him, "I am so sorry sir, you see, Gabby tends to pull my leg and often."

Jack kept a light tone making sure they knew he wasn't offended, "Easy, just relax. I get that most Commanders don't actually visit they're crews." He spoke with a slightly louder voice so the Turians had an excuse to jump in if they wanted, "I just like to make sure everyone's ok and comfortable."

Ken was the first to speak, "Well, to be honest Commander, it's kind of hard to be comfortable when the deranged, pyschopathic, murderer that helped the Reapers take the Citadel is working right next to me."

Gabby's cheeks immediately turned a rosey red, "Kenneth!"

Before Jack could come up with the right answer, Garrus' voice grunted with an almost predatory rumble, "Say that again." It wasn't a request because he hadn't heard him but a demand.

Jack gave Garrus a warning glance, "Let me handle this. Now Ke-"

To his horror, Ken cut him off and started to repeat, "I said I would feel more comfortable without the pyscho murde-"

Garrus moved in one single fluid motion and punched Ken in the face before Jack could stop him. Jack could understand both ends of this argument pretty well unfortunately. On the one hand, Garrus was just protecting his brother from harassment, knowing indoctrination played a huge role in Saren's actions. On the other hand though, Ken was going off the information available about Saren from the news, it wasn't good news. It was hard to convince someone that you were only mildly racist against they're species, especially when Saren was famous for hating Humans since he entered public life.

Jack moved to grab Garrus' wrist when instead, a biotic warp grabbed it, "Garrus! That is enough!" Saren's head looked at Gabby, "Please forgive me for my brother's outburst. You should take Kenneth to the medbay."

They waited until Gabby dragged Ken out of the room before Jack looked sternly at Garrus, "Did I not say I would handle it? Jesus, now he'll think your both crazy."

Garrus yanked his hand free from the loose biotic grip and looked furious, "It wasn't right that he would just say that Shepard. Saren isn't the man that he thinks he is."

Saren had a gentle tone looking at the back of Garrus' head, "For him I am all of those things Garrus. You can't erase everything I've done to the galaxy because you personally forgave me."

Jack gave him a sympathetic smile and added, "Punching people to show that you aren't violent doesn't really work either."

Garrus tightened his hand into a fist, "It's not fair you should have to put up with that crap. It wasn't really you that did anything, the galaxy should know that."

Jack gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, "When we find undeniable proof that the Reapers exist, we'll be able to tell everyone about indoctrination. Until then let me do the talking with skeptical people."

Garrus seemed to relax just a little, "Yeah your both right... Thanks Jack, I'll be sure to apologize when they get back."

Saren shut down his terminal and stretched, "I'm going to go get us some food from the mess hall and give you both time to talk. Shepard, come find me before we reach Illium, we need to talk."

Jack watched Saren leave the room wondering what Saren wanted to talk to him about alone. Given the fact that Saren wasn't the friendly type, it had to be related to the mission. Maybe he remembered something about Sovereign that he didn't want to worry Garrus with. The Cerberus scientists had claimed memory loss was a side effect of indoctrination, however, as far as he knew Saren was the only man alive after experiencing it. He just couldn't think of another explanation as to why Saren would want to talk.

Garrus' mandibles twitched, "Well that didn't sound creepy at all... How are you doing Jack? I mean how are you really doing after finding out the Reaper we thought we killed is still running around?"

Jack rubbed the back of his neck, "Honestly, a little worried we're back to square one all over again. Just with a few extras this time. What about you? I'm sure talking with Saren has been hard."

Garrus shrugged going back to his terminal, "We're kind of just pretending it never happened. Not the healthiest answer I know but, it's a lot easier than emotions right now. We'll get there, just after this is all over. And Shepard? We beat Sovereign once already, we'll just do it again."

Jack chuckled wishing he had that kind of confidence, "If you say so, I'm not so sure myself.. I better go find Saren, whatever he wanted sounded important."

Garrus agreed with a slight nod, "Yeah, Saren doesn't like to talk.. Hey, before you go, is Kal ok? He's been avoiding my messages checking up on him since Omega."

Jack wondered what that could be about but quickly made an excuse, "We've just been busy and now he's taking care of Zero. I'll tell him to reach out."

He left the room quickly with a million things to do before they reach Illium.


	27. Chapter 26: Contingency Plan

Miranda stared at the message for what seemed like hours but was probably less than a minute. Her first instinct was to blow it off as a lie, the quickly typed words on her screen were literally impossible. The Illusive Man would never have done this to her, especially when they were in the middle of the most important mission in Cerberus' long history. He knew she wouldn't be able to focus with this kind of distraction dangling over her head. And yet, Niket was never wrong in all the years she had known him. If he said Henry Lawson was going around Eclipse bases bragging he was about to get his daughter back, that's what her father was doing.

Even though she had hated the fact that Oriana had been captured by the Quarians, she had ultimately resigned herself to the fact that the girl would probably be safe on the Migrant Fleet. It was better than Oriana being a student at that terrible orphanage on Noveria. She should've known that at the first sign of trouble, the Quarians would cut her loose. They had their own problems now because of her need for revenge. Miranda's first reaction was to reach out to The Illusive Man for help, he had always done so in the past but, Kai Leng's appearance on Purgatory made her hesitate. If Leng had already told The Illusive Man what she did on Luna, he could view this as a good punishment. She wasn't about to let her sister suffer the wrath of their father because she hadn't finished the job on Leng, no matter what The Illusive Man wanted. Miranda just needed a solution that didn't involve Cerberus, Shepard was her only real option, and they were headed to Illium.

She closed the door to her office spotting Reegar and the teenager in the medbay. It was easy to write off all Quarian's as selfish, narrow minded, tech wizards; the truth was that they weren't all that way. Kal was taking care of this girl like she was his own daughter despite her harsh attitude, and the fact they met less than a week ago. His helmet also had a badly repaired crack and yet, his biggest concern right now was making sure she didn't receive too much eezo in her blood. Given the fact that Oriana hadn't run away for the two full years she was on the fleet, Miranda guessed it was safe to assume that whoever took care of her showed a similar love and affection. Miranda might not like it but, Oriana belonged with the Quarian people.

Her first instinct was to go into the medbay when the elevator door opened and Jack emerged, "Hey Shepard, do you and Kal have a minute to talk?"

Jack gave her a suspicious look trying to read her for intent, "We need to make sure Jack's ok after Horizon but, I suppose so when we're done."

Miranda nodded and entered the elevator after him, "I'll be in your quarters if you don't mind?"

The door closed without an answer so Miranda assumed it was fine. She was glad now that the Quarian took surveillance out of the Captain's Quarters, it would allow them to have this private conversation. Even just a year ago she would've fought harder to keep them in place but, something about The Illusive Man had changed. Yes, he was still the sharpest military mind she knew, however, anything related to Cora and Leng were greenlit no matter how damaging to Cerberus as a whole. He wasn't one to submit to anyone's ideas, so what changed? Nepotism? Unlikely, Miranda was as much his daughter as either of them and he was starting to leave her in the dark on key aspects of their mission. She would have to worry about that riddle later, right now Oriana's safety was on the line.

Another thirty minutes went by before Kal and Jack returned to the cabin, the Quarian was the first to speak, "What's so important that you needed to see us in the only part of the ship your boss can't hear us in?"

Miranda had been preparing to tell them everything but they didn't want to hear her story, she was evil in their eyes, "I need a favor from you both, off the books."

Jack folded his arms over his chest, "We're listening, I'm not going to commit to anything if it's like the last favor you people made us go through."

She kept her hands behind her back to not show how stressed she was, "You asked me about Oriana shortly after we met. She's my younger sister, and I just learned my father is after her again. Supposedly, he's going to pick her up on Illium."

Kal bounced on his heels lightly, "Let me guess, your father isn't the loving type? And you want us to help you make sure this deal doesn't happen?"

Miranda debated on telling him the whole truth, "You could say that but I won't bore you with the details, you'd see it as too convenient."

Jack shook his head giving her a half smile, "You wouldn't have reached out to us if this wasn't important to you Miranda. Telling us everything now is a lot better than getting hit with it later, just talk."

Miranda had to admit that was true, "Much like Han'Gerrel, my father is obsessed with genetics, he wants to create the perfect Human. He used my DNA to clone me with several additions to create Oriana. When he found out she was going to have Autism, he decided killing her and starting over was the best solution."

She could tell Kal didn't completely believe her as he leaned against the fish tank, "And so you did something to make sure that wouldn't happen?"

Jack answered for her, "That's why you joined Cerberus isn't it? The Illusive Man promised you he'd keep her safe. What changed?"

She wished she could answer that question on her own, what had changed? Luna seemed to be the only answer that was remotely possible, except it didn't feel right. Up until right now, she had known The Illusive Man to be blunt with his words. If you did something he didn't approve of he would tell you directly, and if need be, punish you to your face. Going after Oriana behind her back was out of character for him, he always wanted you to know what you did wrong. Miranda wasn't used to feeling like she needed contingency plans around him, it was an uncomfortable feeling.

Her gaze shifted from one of the men to the other with a shrug, "I don't know Shepard, and that makes me worry. All I know is my father convinced the Quarians to let her go."

Kal's hand was tapping his opposite shoulder, "What do you need us to do exactly? If you aren't aware, I'm an exile. I can't pull strings to get the flotila to stop the transfer."

Miranda tilted her head in his direction, "I know that Kal, I also know both of you are friends with Tali'Zorah. I think her father would be interested in Oriana since she can communicate with the Geth. All I'm asking is that you reach out to her and see if the flotila would be willing to take Oriana back. Then, me and Kal go to the swap on Illium and stop it."

Jack raised an eyebrow suddenly seeming more skeptical, "Any reason why I'm not allowed to go on this little adventure with you both?"

Kal added quickly, "And why me in the first place? I've watched you fight enough to know your perfectly capable of killing mercenaries."

Miranda made sure to keep her tone as calm as possible, showing fear would ruin her chances, "Like I said earlier, I need this mission to be off the books. The Illusive Man wanted you to recruit an assassin for the mission and I know you can't be in two places at once. As for you Kal, Oriana's never actually met me before, when we take her it would be better if I'm with a friendly face so to speak."

Jack seemed to look tense and unsure on what to do, "I want to help your sister Miranda, I really do. However, I can't risk losing Cerberus' resources right now. Not when an actual Reaper is involved with the Collectors. If The Illusive Man decides I'm no longer useful because I helped you, the galaxy could get screwed as a result."

The words hit her hard even though she knew he was right. Oriana's temporary safety wouldn't matter in the end if the Reapers were successful in restarting the cycle. On top of that Shepard didn't owe her anything really, sure she retrieved him from the cryo facility but that was because Cerberus needed him. Before that they had been on opposing sides in the race for the Conduit. What was she thinking would happen when she asked them for help? If she really wanted their help, she was going to have to give something in return, something both of them would want.

Instead of pitching her offer directly, Miranda asked, "Let's assume for a minute that we defeat the Collectors, what do you think will happen to you both then?"

Jack and Kal looked at each other for a few seconds before Jack spoke, "If it means the Reapers are truly defeated, we retire somewhere like normal people. I'm not a SPECTRE anymore so I don't have anything else keeping me in service."

Miranda gave a soft laugh and a chiding glance, "You've burned too many bridges for that Shepard and you know it. With Leng most likely free, you won't be safe. Jacob is only being friendly because he can see the bigger picture right now. The Alliance will want to throw you in jail for the rest of your life for working with us and, Cora hated you enough to try and freeze you for 600 years. Believe me, you won't be able to just retire and grow old."

Kal cleared his throat sounding irritated, "And somehow you have the answers to all of those problems if we help you? Why do I not believe that."

She cut to the chase with a blunt tone, "Your right, I can't help you both with everything. The both of you have way too many enemies for anyone to be able to guarantee that. What I can do is offer you my help when you need it, I have enough connections on my own to give the three of you a head start."

Jack gave her a seemingly confused stare, "The three of you...?"

Kal wasn't in the mood to play dumb and put a finger in her face, "Don't you dare bring her into this! Zero deserves to be free from you bosh'tets!"

Miranda gave a shrug, not intimidated by Kal's outburst of anger, "Like I said, I can help the three of you get a head start when all of this is over. All I'm asking for is your help getting Oriana free."

The silence that followed actually made Miranda feel like she had a bad taste in her mouth. While Cerberus as a whole often used an individuals family members as blackmail to get what they wanted, she personally didn't enjoy it. Kahoku had taught her the hard way that you normally get better results from your targets when they wanted to help you by choice. Unfortunately, Kal and Shepard would never want to actually help her no matter how badly they felt about Oriana's situation. She at least would follow through on her end of the bargain if they played ball. Miranda knew the value of keeping a symbiotic relationship with someone she needed help from.

Kal's hand clencherd to a fist, "If Zero somehow gets hurt because I helped you, your father won't be the only thing Oriana has to worry about at night. Understand?"

She ignored him and looked in Jack's direction, "So I assume we have a deal then?"

Jack sighed and gave her a defeated shrug, "It doesn't feel like we have much of a choice to say no."

Miranda was satisfied with that answer and started heading back to the elevator, "We'll be reaching Illium tomorrow. Kal, just meet me at the docks so we can come up with a plan."

She left the two of them in silence letting them figure out the logistics of who was going with who. It was important for her to figure out how they were actually going to save her sister.


	28. Chapter 27: Third in Line

Jack flopped against the bed with a groan while Kal kicked the trash can over out of anger. Miranda had them right where she wanted them and there was nothing Jack could do to get out from under her thumb. He wasn't about to ask Kal to abandon Zero, not after seeing them communicate in the cargo hold. No, they were a family now, even if the girl didn't realize it yet. Unfortunately, knowing how Miranda operated made Jack very aware that she would milk the relationship for all it was worth. Anytime she needed something that The Illusive Man was unwilling to provide, they would have to do. None of this will matter after the Alliance makes it's move but until then, they had to play along.

Kal was pacing up and down the cabin, "Jack...I'm sorry I put us here, right now, at this moment. I should've just..let her go on an escape pod or let Garrus kill her. It's my fault Miranda even ha-"

He stood up from the bed and put a finger on Kal's mouthpiece, "Stop, I would've done the same thing. If Miranda didn't use Jack, she just would've used our marriage, she knows just how to get what she wants. We just have to play along until the Collectors die."

Kal wrapped an arm around Jack's waist to pull him closer, "Thank you for understanding that I...need to help her. I wouldn't be the man I am today if someone hadn't taken a chance on me. Showed me what a normal life is like."

Jack gave him a loving smirk, "I know you better than you give me credit for cyar'ika. For example, I know your sneezing under that cracked helmet and muting it to not worry me."

The Quarian sneezed aloud now, "Do you think she noticed it? I don't want her to think she gave me a cold when it was that bosh'tet assassin...and before you ask," Kal showed him his suit vital signs on his omni tool, "I'm fine, Purgatory just had more new germs. Yahg if I had to guess."

While it was nice to get visual confirmation that the cold was on the decline, Jack wasn't worried about it to begin with. Kal had plenty of similar tiny colds at the start of their relationship until his immune system adjusted to Human germs. He would be fine by the morning and could then be exposed to that particular germ again without any consequences. In theory, Kal could go into a room with all the germs he had ever been exposed to before that point without his suit on and be perfectly fine the next day. Jack personally didn't want to put that hypothesis to the test but, that was how Kal's immune system functioned.

He considered Kal's question for a few seconds, "I don't know, I didn't see a reaction from her when I thought you sneezed. You might want to do it in front of her though whenever you do get sick again. It would be a good way to show her all the experiments you went through actually mattered. Have you ordered a new helmet yet? I don't even know how you can see me under all that omni gel."

Kal chuckled gently keeping him close, "No, I don't exactly have credits growing under the suit Jack. I'll get lucky and someone will want to sell Commander Shepard's husband a helmet, and maybe a new suit all together."

Jack shook his head and rolled his eyes, "How about we skip the then obligatory fan meet and greet by asking Tali for one before she leaves? We have to see her anyways."

Kal gently let go of him and sat on the bed, "With Tali back on the flotila, I don't want to risk her exile by talking with her, tell her hi from me though."

Jack had a feeling she was going to want to at least wave at Kal regardless and so he stayed in the room, "Depending on Miranda's plans your going to have to bring Oriana to her. I think the fleet will have to make an exception, just this once."

He started scrolling through his old omni tool contacts looking for Tali. Hopefully she still had the same contact information, otherwise he was going to have to see Miranda about making other plans. If it was necessary they could probably ask EDI to find Tali on the extranet but, then The Illusive Man would be notified. Luckily, Tali's name was at the bottom of the list and he called it having no idea where she could be. It was a long nervous wait with the tool was beeping over and over again, was she gone? Maybe it was sleeping hours on the flotila.

Just as he was about to hang up, a muffled, synthetic, howl answered followed by Tali's familiar voice, "It's really good to hear from you Jack. I could use some advice right about now."

Jack let another pained, robotic, moan go through before asking, "You don't sound all that surprised to hear from me, what's going on where you are?"

Tali's helmet appeared on his omni tool and she was clearly upset, "No I'm not honestly... The fact we just lost Oriana Lawson to a fake Cerberus cell made me think the real deal was going to call. As for here," Another yelp of pain cut her off for a few seconds, "Gerrel has taken my fathers' research into his own hands. Things are getting a little desperate around the fleet. We've always endured but, I don't know if we can survive a wide spread panic like this."

Kal bolted from the bed and looked down at Jack's wrist, "Is he hurting an actual Quarian in there Tali? Please tell me your not letting that just happen."

Tali stared up at the partially repaired mask, "Keelah Kal, are you ok?"

They both noticed Tali had dodged the question when another synthetic scream greeted them. It didn't sound like any Quarian Jack had talked to before but, each ship had a different vocal accent so it was possible. Han'Gerrel had proven with Kal that he was willing to go to any length he deemed necessary to save his people. Jack couldn't really see a way that torturing someone could help the fleet's starvation problem but, Gerrel didn't do anything for the fun of it. The continued howling was hard to stomach though if he was honest.

Kal grabbed Jack's wrist gently and pulled it towards his face so he would be larger on her screen, "Let's just say I would feel a lot better if I knew my father wasn't killing a Quarian right now Tali."

She took a second to reply, "It's Legion... We've been slowly studying how he broke away from the consensus. With Oriana gone and our research going too slowly, Gerrel took over. Instead of having Legion cooperate with us, Gerrel is ripping out one program at a time to see which one was responsible for the separation. You could think of it as tearing each muscle out of your body until you find the heart. Dad thinks it won't be effective, I just think it's far more brutal then necessary."

Jack didn't know how to feel about that development, Legion was definitely a Geth. Each program removed from his unit would bring him a step closer to death or loosing his sentience. The machine hadn't tried to apologize to Kal or Tali for what happened on Rannoch, and yet the opposite was also true. Legion had ultimately been a key element to defeating Sovereign the first time around which made Jack feel conflicted. Did he deserve to get killed in such a slow fashion for the Quarian's benefit? Ultimately, it wasn't Jack's problem right now, he needed to focus on the Collectors and Miranda's request.

Jack did his best to ignore Legion's cries of pain and spoke, "I'm calling because Miranda wants the Quarians to take Oriana back permanently. How fast could you be on Illium?"

Tali looked down at her omni tool, "If I leave right now....a day and a half."

Kal let out a breath obviously relieved she was interested in helping them, "Then you should leave now, with any luck me and Miranda will be waiting with Oriana when you arrive."

She gave a tilt of her head considering them both, "Any reason why you two are actually helping Miranda? And I'll bring you a new suit Kal, it looks like that thing is barely staying together right now."

Jack gave a sad laugh speaking for Kal, "It's been through a lot these past two years. Miranda is blackmailing us because The Illusive Man won't help her anymore."

Without saying a word, Tali gave them a quick hand gesture and disconnected the call. Kal let go of his arm, "She said someone was coming so she'd see us soon."

Jack could tell from his tone that he was upset, "How are you doing? I'm sure it's not easy to know your dad's experimenting on something again."

Kal sat next to him and gently stroked his back, "I don't know how to feel about it really. You know I didn't trust Legion up until Virmire but, hearing those screams was just awful."

Jack leaned towards him and kissed his neck along his suit, "I know, we can't save everyone though. Legion was probably doomed to get scrapped the moment he left Rannoch. The question had only been who was going to do it." He let a second pass before saying, "Garrus was a little worried about you when we talked, said you were ignoring his messages."

The brief silence that followed made Jack understand why Kal hadn't talked with Garrus, Erash. Kal took responsibility for the destruction of Archangel as a group so, it was only natural he didn't want to talk with Garrus. He knew a lot had changed while he was gone but, Garrus was still Garrus. The Turian forgave his brother for attempting to commit mass genocide, he would forgive Kal for missing something with Erash. Garrus had been a detective in CSEC so, it wouldn't surprise Jack if he already suspected the truth. He was hoping he could convince Kal to talk to him about what happened, they were both in a unique position to help each other cope with Omega.

Kal drummed his fingers on Jack's thigh and spoke softly, "I'm scared he'll blame me for what happened. I don't want to lose yet another friend from that night because I couldn't see the writing on the wall."

They both jumped when the Turian's voice came from the cabin door, "I was afraid you were going to do this... Blamed yourself for every mistake on every damned mission forgetting the fact that I was supposed to be the boss." Garrus gave them both an innocent smile, "The door was open, and I was tired of waiting around."

Jack shook his head but grinned at the Turian, "You might want to knock next time Garrus. I wouldn't want to scare your eyes with anything inappropriate."

Kal looked up at Garrus, "We were supposed to be each others back up. I'm sorry I was just a stupid bosh'tet wrapped up in me."

Garrus gave a small shrug and revealed a bottle of Turian ale, "We both had blind spots that made it a disaster. What do you say we have some of this to..let go of our mistakes?"

Jack stood up and walked to the mini fridge, "I will get the glasses and my own alcohol. Plenty of mistakes to go around the room."

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck and coughed awkwardly, "Hey umm, would you mind if I invited Saren up? He wanted to talk to you both apparently."

Jack could definitely appreciate how foreign that question must sound to Garrus. Two years ago the three of them were hunting down Saren together before he started the apocalypse, now they were going to have a drink together. He personally didn't mind it, Saren was a different man without indoctrination controlling his actions. However, he doubted that the former SPECTRE would want to have a drink with them. Despite the fact he didn't want to destroy the universe anymore, Saren still didn't seem to want to be associated with any Human.

He was about to say sure when Kal took the Turian ale and nodded, "Sure, we'll split this three ways then so I won't be as drunk."

The next hour was an enlightening experience as Jack watched Kal get drunk for the first time. He had assumed Quarians were lightweights because the fleet didn't have access to alcohol but, actually seeing it was something else. After just a single glass of the ale, Kal was cuddling against him and sluring his words. Garrus and Jack were laughing at Kal's over exaggerated tales of defeating a Reaper with his bare hands. Jack noticed Saren had entered the cabin but, he was standing in the back watching the three of them.

Kal giggled while sitting sideways in Jack's lap, "Yessh, I'm telling you I killed a Reeeper. Kaboom it went, all sorts of synthetic goo everywhere!"

Garrus raised a browplate while sipping from the bottle, "When was this exactly? I mean, I don't remember any of the gangs taking a Reaper."

Kal tapped the top of his helmet, "I think it was a dreemsh actually, you know, when you sleep."

Jack kissed the side of his helmet gently, "So your telling us it didn't happen then?"

Saren interrupted the conversation with a cough, "How does sex work between you two?"

All eyes turned to him and Jack almost spit out his drink, "Excuse me?"

Saren took the empty seat next to Garrus and repeated matter of factly, "Sex, how does it work with you both? Your levo and he's dextro, most Humans would go into shock, so how does it work?"

Garrus' mandibles fluttered clearly embarrassed that was the first thing Saren asked, "No, I think they understood the question, it's just kind of offensive as a conversation opener."

Since Kal was drunk, he just snuggled into Jack and said, "It's pretty heavenly if you ashk me."

When Saren just stared at him expectantly, Jack answered, "I don't really know Saren, I have an immunity to dextro acids I suppose. Why do you ask?"

Saren muttered something to himself before speaking louder, "Around thirty five years ago, I was part of a team with your mother hunting down a mad Turian scientist. I'll spare you the insignificant details but, one of the Turian members of the team became close with your mother. He ended up killing a Human family accidentally save for their son, and Hannah became pregnant shortly after. To be blunt Shepard, I have a hunch your this team members son, and if so, your existence is a threat to the integrity of the Hierarchy."

Kal just started laughing while Jack tried to soak that all in for details. Even though it seemed outlandish beyond belief, things were making an uncomfortable sense. His mother had been part of a group species task force just before getting pregnant with him. She had avoided the topic like the plague up until the day she died but, Leng called him a mutt. Jack had to be careful though, Saren's connection with his mother hadn't come up two years ago. The Turian could be lying and going off information on the extranet but, why? What did Saren have to gain by lying about this? His mother was dead so, Saren wasn't trying to tear them apart.

Garrus filled the silence, "That's obviously hard for all of us to swallow, why bring it up now? How could it hurt our government exactly?"

Saren sounded impatient, "Shepard, there's no better way to say this. I think your third in line to become the Primarch. Could you imagine the scandal among my people if you took over the Turian Hierarchy? The result of a love affair only ten years after the Relay 314 Incident? It would be absolute chaos.... With Kai Leng free, I want to warn Turian high command so they can prepare for the potential leak."

While Jack didn't know if he believed it himself, Saren was right, "Do what you have to, I certainly can't deal with the Hierarchy in crisis right now."

The party atmosphere had been ruined so they all went to bed. Tomorrow he could focus on Illium, and recruiting this other assassin that The Illusive Man wanted him to find.


	29. Chapter 28: The Dantius Towers

Jack had a hard time sleeping that night even with Kal's warm, suited, body curled up against him. The knowledge that he may be half Turian didn't stress him out on it's own but, the fact he was somehow third in line to become the head of the Hierarchy did. Was it something he could just say no to? He didn't want to be in charge of any species and he was sure the Turians themselves wanted a Turian to lead them. The fact that his mother never told him the truth probably meant denying the position wasn't an option. At least he was third in line, hopefully the other Turians in line would have long, happy, productive lives with lots of children. Otherwise, they'd be dealing with a biotically enhanced teenager as the next person in line after him.

He managed to close his eyes and drift off to sleep but, after what felt like only a few seconds, he felt the ship slow down out of FTL. Jack glanced down to his omni tool and realized he actually slept for six hours. It definitely wasn't the best sleep he ever had but, it was enough to keep him going. They had arrived in the Tasale System on time. Even though Illium was in Council Space, the planet operated much more like Noveria than the Citadel. Businessmen and women ruled the planet and were more concerned with profit margins than security. He wasn't even sure if any of the Council races had an official military presence here, they would be safe for now.

Kal groaned deeply before rubbing his helmet, "How much did you let me have to drink..? I don't remember anything after opening the bottle."

Jack chuckled amused by the sound of a Quarian hangover, "A glass and a half if you must know. I didn't have to stop you thankfully, you just got really busy cuddling me."

Kal immediately sat up and stretched his arms, "That explains why I feel so stiff. Please tell me I didn't say anything truly embarrassing to Garrus or Saren?"

Jack gave him a smirk and had a teasing tone, "If you don't count telling Saren that our sex life is 'truly heavenly,' no, not at all."

Kal's helmet whipped around to face him like he had just been slapped, "Why in the hell did our sex life come up in a conversation with Saren?"

Jack sighed and got off the bed to get his armor on, "Saren...has a theory that my father is a Turian who just so happens to be third in line to the Turian Hierarchy."

Kal was watching him get dressed and didn't say anything for a few seconds, "That would explain a few things... What do you think about that possibility?"

He laughed putting on his chest plate, "Honestly? I'm terrified with the fact I could be a government leader for any species, let alone Turians.. I mean, I know Garrus isn't racist towards me but, he isn't the majority. I'm hoping he's just lying or doesn't know."

Kal walked right up to him and opened his mouthpiece to give a quick kiss, "I think you'd make a perfect leader, you know how to get things done. Knowing Saren though, I wouldn't worry about getting a call anytime soon. I have to go get Jack ready down in the hold."

His last sentence made him raise an eyebrow. Kal was planning on taking Zero with him while he helped Miranda? Not only did he know Miranda wouldn't like the idea, he himself had some reservations. Zero could pack a serious punch when the fighting started but, she wasn't exactly subtle. While he didn't know what Miranda had in mind for rescuing her sister, Jack assumed a degree of stealth was going to be necessary. Otherwise, Miranda could've hired a few Krogan mercenaries to do the job and not owe them anything.

Kal saw the look and shrugged, "I know it's not a good idea but, I'm not going to have Jack thinking I'm plotting with Cerberus behind her back. Besides, Oriana might recognize her too since they were both on Noveria."

Jack knew Kal was dug in on this and just smiled, "I love you both, just make sure you come back in one piece."

The elevator door closed leaving Jack some alone time before they docked. Since he still didn't know who The Illusive Man wanted him to hire here, he thought it would be a good idea to look at the dossier. An image of a green Drell flashed across his omni tool, his black eyes staring back at him in what seemed like was a criminal mug shot. The text under the image read, "Thane Krios, age: 55, height/weight: 6'2"/175lbs, known relationships with Cerberus personnel: classified." Jack immediately thought that last bit of information was curious, who in Cerberus could a Drell be related to? Feron? He was jumping to conclusions based on race and decided to keep reading, "Bio: Thane Krios has been an assassin for his entire adult life. 99.9% of his assignments were completed without incident. A master of hand-to-hand combat, far range sniper kills, and biotics, Thane is the perfect addition to the Normandy crew."

Jack felt like they had each of those skills covered amongst the current members of his team but, someone that could accomplish all three of those would certainly be useful to have around. Especially now considering Kai Leng was free and he doubted The Illusive Man put a tight leash on his activities. Unfortunately, the dossier didn't give any directions on how to find him. Did The Illusive Man just expect him to run around the planet until he found the Drell? Maybe it was just busy work until he discovered a way through the Omega-4 Relay.

When he arrived in the CIC, Vetra and Kasumi were apparently waiting for him at the airlock. He noticed both of them had weapons attached to their armor, were they expecting a fight? Jack hadn't asked them to come along with him, in fact he had been planning on going to find Thane alone. However, Vetra looked determined, maybe her sister was on Illium. He didn't have any leads to go on to find Thane so, helping Vetra would be a nice distraction. He did find it a little strange that Kasumi wanted to tag along. From his first impressions, he didn't think they were good enough friends to care about each others families.

Kasumi smiled to him, "Hey Shepard, mind if I record the both of you while we're out and about? I need raw footage to put together for my little project. I promise I won't get in the way."

Jack didn't answer her right away and instead looked at Vetra, "You ok with that? You look a little tense, is it about Sid?"

Vetra gave a quick nod and her tone was fearful, "I don't really have a choice Shepard. If what Kasumi's lead says is accurate, Sid's in a lot of trouble right now and I can't help her."

Without missing a beat, Kasumi added, "I think a wealthy businesswoman got her hands on the girl somehow and intends to traffic her. Liara will be able to confirm when we see her."

Jack remembered The Illusive Man saying Liara was on Illium but, he was surprised Kasumi said it so easily, "Liara, as in Liara T'Soni?"

EDI appeared next to the airlock door, "Yes, your former teammate Liara T'Soni may have more information. Her office overlooks the trading floor adjacent to this port. You may wish to speak with her regarding the whereabouts of Thane Krios, the assassin on your dossier, as well."

The airlock opened and Vetra took a deep breath, "Well, we're about to find out if my new identity holds water on a planet bounty hunters get work in."

Jack gave her a small smile to reassure her, "If it doesn't at least you'll make this 'shore leave' of ours more enjoyable."

He started to move forward but heard Kasumi say, "Killing a few bounty hunters would make way better footage on BadAss weekly instead of you two just walking around together."

From the moment the three of them walked out of the Normandy, Jack worried EDI had accidentally got the wrong coordinates and actually sent them to Thessia. Asari seemed to be the only species living on the planet besides the occasional Volus or Elcor. The tall buildings surrounding them were curved and twisted in seemingly impossible ways, a hallmark of Asari architecture. The only thing keeping him from actually checking his omni tool was all the financial trading equipment that was anywhere he looked. He was surprised that a terrorist group hadn't tried to attack this place. The amount of credits for the taking behind those console screens had to be astronomical.

To his mild surprise, EDI's coordinates were actually good, he was standing in front of an office labeled 'T'Soni.' He was a little hesitant to get her help because of what The Illusive Man said about her working for the Shadow Broker. The Broker didn't have any real morals and would sell information to the highest bidder no matter their affiliation or intent. However, Liara wouldn't purposely hurt him and he doubted she even could. The last time they saw each other, she was still trying to learn how to shoot at stationary targets.

He opened the door and Liara was sitting at her desk waiting for them, "Hello Jack, it's been a long time."

Jack smiled and walked into the office slowly, "You don't seem surprised to see me at all? Have I already made enough noise to hit the news?"

She laughed at the question and motioned for them to sit at the couch across from her table, "No, at least not the kind of noise people want to be spread around. I...sell information now to governments and any other interested parties."

Kasumi elbowed Vetra gently and whispered, "Told you so."

Vetra cleared her throat and her mandibles twitched, "Sorry, me and my friend here had a bet going about what you did for a living."

Liara gave the pair a look Jack couldn't immediately read, "I didn't know I was that exciting. I'll be sure to boast more often."

Jack jumped in when Vetra seemed to be a little spooked, "So, what's it like to have information valuable enough to sell to governments?"

Liara turned her gaze back to him, "It's paid the bills since you... well, for the past two years. And now your back, gunning for the Collectors with Cerberus."

Kasumi let out a whistle, "Oh your good, not as good as I am at stealing but, good."

Liara looked a little embarrassed and shrugged, "I am indeed a very good information broker. Now, what can I do for you Shepard?"

Jack shook his head and leaned back in his seat, "You didn't really answer my question, what's it like to have the job that you do?"

Liara kept a neutral tone not revealing anything, "The world of intrigue isn't that different from a dig site. I'm still looking for clues that want to be hidden. The only difference now is that the dead bodies still smell when I find them."

Vetra sat up straight as if she was preparing to hear bad news, "I'll cut right to chase because I'm sure you know who I am. My sister was-"

Liara interrupted her, "Taken from you on Omega I know. Aria T'Loak called me last week and asked if the Broker knew anything. All I know for certain is Erash wasn't working alone, another member of Archangel had to have actually taken Sidera. Other than that, the only other potential location I could think of is Henry Lawson's slave trade. There's a joint auction happening with Eclipse this evening at the Dantius Towers."

Jack had a million questions pop up that he wanted to ask but, the expression of utter defeat on Vetra's face was painful to see. The Turian wasn't stupid, entering the slave trade made it almost impossible she was going to be found alive. Who knows what kind of slavery she would be sold into, and if she had already been harmed. He did know that Vetra blamed herself for keeping Sidera so close to her on Omega. It had given one of the members of Archangel the opportunity to kidnap the girl for whatever reason.

Liara gave her a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry I couldn't be more help to you, the entire Lawson family is good at hiding information."

Vetra shrugged and looked down at her feet, "It's not your fault, I thought I was prepared for the possibility that I would never see her again. Thanks for the information."

Jack grabbed her shoulder gently, "We still have a chance, I always wanted to raid an illegal auction." He looked at Liara with a sad smile, "And I'm looking for a Drell assassin known as Thane Krios, any idea where he'd be tonight?"

Liara tapped her chin, "Given the fact that Nassana Dantius is attending the auction, I'd assume he'll be there. He's been cleaning house from his past. You might get lucky and he'll help you disrupt the entire operation."

Kasumi stood up, "Well then, I think that's our que to leave."

Jack nodded and stood but looked back at Liara, "I could use your help with the Collectors Liara. They're connected to the Protheans and the Reapers."

Liara shook her head obviously feeling uncomfortable, "I can't, Shepard. I'm sorry. I have commitments here. Things I need to take care of."

He raised his eyebrow at her, "The best Prothean expert I know saying no to the opportunity to look at more Prothean stuff? Are you in trouble or something?"

Liara didn't say anything for a few seconds, "No, no trouble. But it's been a long two years. I had things to do while you were gone. I have debts to repay. You should get going, the auction starts in a few hours."

He wanted to make sure Liara was ok but she was right, getting to the auction early would improve their chances. It was time he met Henry Lawson, and make sure he never sold another living being again.


	30. Chapter 29: Climbing the Tower

While Liara had told them where the auction was being held, she had neglected to tell them about a good way to get inside. The Dantius Towers were right outside the window to the trading floor, twisting together like a double helix, and yet they were so far away. Apparently, you couldn't just walk into the towers for business as it was an exclusive type of establishment. It supposedly hosted the very best dining, apartment space, offices, and services Illium had to offer. However, Jack knew from a quick extranet search that the buildings owner, one Nassana Dantius, was a financial benefactor to the Eclipse mercenary group. Luckily, he just happened to have one of the galaxy's best thieves to give him ideas.

Vetra was pacing along the window edge they were standing next to, "Can you work any faster please? I don't like just standing here not doing anything."

Kasumi was looking over blueprints for the towers on her omni tool, "Nothing yet, just give me a few minutes. Security is awfully tight tonight, almost as if they're expecting someone to crash the party."

Jack frowned not liking the sound of that, "Probably Miranda more so than us. Her father knows she'd do anything to rescue her sister if she was willing to work for Cerberus."

He tried to comm Kal and then Miranda to tell them that both of their missions were going to be in the same place but, their comms were off. If he had to guess, Miranda already had a plan to get into the Dantius Towers and they were already inside sneaking around. Hopefully they could keep everything separate enough since she didn't want The Illusive Man knowing what she was doing but, he wasn't going to be able to do too much to stop their paths from crossing. He still had to recruit Thane Krios and Vetra was determined to try and save her own sister from the auction.

The Turian gave him a nervous glance, "Jack, do you actually trust T'Soni? She said there was another traitor in Archangel that took Sid, but I can't think of anyone besides Erash that would've done something like that."

Jack nodded to her question almost immediately, "We wouldn't have been able to defeat the Reapers the first time around without her help. I trust her to tell us everything she knew about the situation... Do you have any suspicions on anyone in particular?"

Vetra shook her head sounding frustrated, "No! I mean, I wasn't there all the time to really know but, they all seemed like a family unit. I guess it doesn't matter anymore since they're all dead... I just wish I could fit the puzzle pieces together in my head."

Jack smiled at her trying to keep her upbeat, "We'll just have to ask Sidera what happened when we find her."

She nodded and looked at her omni tool, "Yeah, and then I can get as far away from here as possible." She looked at Kasumi impatiently, "Well? I know you can work faster than that. What's our way inside?"

Kasumi shook her head sarcastically, "Tsk, tsk, Vetra you should know never to rush a master when they work. I wanted to try and find an easier route but, looks like we only have one way in." She pulled up the blueprints on her omni tool making them big enough for everyone to see, "We won't be able to just steal a cab and land on one of their docking zones because of security. Luckily for us the second tower is still going through some renovations so, I think we can steal a construction vehicle and blend right in."

Vetra glanced down at herself and then Jack, "We're in armor Kasumi, not exactly these construction workers attire I hope."

Kasumi gave her a mocking expression, "They're part of the Eclipse, of course they're workers are going to be armored up and ready for a fight. I think it'd be better if you let me drive our borrowed construction vehicle into the tower. Then we'll figure out what we're doing from there."

Jack didn't exactly like the idea of pretending to be a construction worker for Eclipse, too many things could potentially go wrong. If any one of them were recognized it would be a fight to get anywhere in the tower. Unfortunately, they didn't have time to come up with another plan. Miranda would most likely want to rescue her sister before the actual auction started to avoid complications. Hopefully his deal with Miranda wouldn't be put in jeopardy if they made too much noise. She had to know that what The Illusive Man wanted unfortunately had to come first, just for appearance's sake.

He rubbed the back of his neck feeling just a little worried, "Lead the way then I guess."

The way Kasumi walked through the streets of Illium made it feel like she owned the place despite probably having never been here before. Jack admired the fact that she didn't seem to fear getting caught by CSEC or anyone else even though she often bragged about her skills in public. He didn't have that type of confidence, perfering to work behind the scenes and not attract too much attention. That seemed like it would be impossible given the fact that he was the first Human SPECTRE but, none of the Asari seemed to notice him. Maybe the other races didn't pay enough attention to galactic politics to care, or more likely only cared when it hurt their bottom line.

As they approached what had to be the construction office, Jack couldn't help but notice how small it was. He would've thought that someone as powerful as Nassana Dantius would've picked a company with more prestige to work on her towers. Then he realized larger companies would've asked too many questions about her activities with the Eclipse. This place was probably just happy to get the job of a lifetime and took the credits. Once he entered, Jack changed his mind and considered the possibility that they were actively involved with her criminal enterprise. The receptionist didn't even blink when they walked in even though their weapons and armor were clearly visible.

The receptionist even gave them a friendly smile, "Welcome to Hanax's famous builder shop. I'm Herra, how can I help you today?"

Kasumi just tossed her a large credit chip, "You can help us by just taking that and forgetting we were here. Maybe buy a new house or something."

The receptionist gave them all a broad smile, "I'll just open the next door for you right now. Have a wonderful day."

After they walked through the next door, Vetra gave her a surprised glance, "How do you know that worked? She could be calling the guards right now."

Kasumi shrugged at them nonchalantly, "I don't, we'll find out in a few seconds won't we?"

Jack tried hard not to tense too hard when they entered the loading zone. The large room was filled with Asari and Salarians wearing full sets of Eclipse armor. They were making themselves busy putting blocks of concrete and marble into the backs of the maintenance ships headed for the tower. He would've been less concerned with the situation if he still had his biotics but, since he didn't, the Asari would be able to toss all of that at them in a fight and he couldn't block them. Jack couldn't help but feel stunned when none of the workers even turned to look at them. From the way they were moving, it was clear Nassana had them on a tight schedule.

Vetra subtly pointed to a Salarian in the back of the room who was struggling to carry a block of marble, "I'd say it looks like he could use a little help."

He nodded motioning for Kasumi to take the vehicles drivers seat before approaching the Salarian, "Hey, we're new on the job and want to help. Why don't you take a break for a few minutes?"

The Salarian groaned placing the block in the bed of the truck and grinned at them, "Oh would you?! My wife would hate it if I seriously hurt my back doing this. A thousand thank yous really! The rest of the blocks are over there." He pointed to a huge pile of blocks yet to be carried.

Jack smiled right back at him, "Don't mention it, I'm sure you can pay us back someday."

They waited for the Salarian to disappear around the corner before climbing into the bed of the vehicle and shutting the doors behind them. A few seconds later the ship started moving and Jack relaxed a little, they were going to make it to the tower at least. He would've liked to think the hardest part was over but, it definitely wasn't. Now they had to work their way up the tower under renovations to get access to the actual tower they wanted to be on. Then, they had to figure out where the auction was being held so they could find Krios and Sidera. That was before even thinking about how they were going to escape the towers in one piece.

Vetra was making sure her rifle was clean for the hundredth time as they were driving, "How's potential fatherhood going for the two of you?"

Jack laughed at the question knowing she was talking about Zero, "Slowly, she doesn't really trust me yet. She's warming up to Kal though, I kind of feel like after Omega he needs her as much as she needs him."

Vetra looked away for a few seconds, "Yeah, Kal took your death the hardest out of everyone. He was sobbing at the funeral so hard he couldn't get through the speech he wrote. I'm sorry I couldn't stop him from getting tortured..."

Jack blinked as though she had splashed him with a bucket of cold water, "He didn't tell me he was tortured. When? What happened?" He remembered seeing all the scars along his spine.

Her mandibles twitched and she looked around, "I thought he would've... Early on the Blue Suns grabbed him and wanted to know where Archangel was hiding. He didn't break, I think he wanted them to kill him... I.... Let's just say the woman in charge knew exactly what buttons to push to make him want to break."

Kasumi tilted her head to the back of the truck, "We're approaching the checkpoint, you two should try and hide."

They quickly scrambled to get behind some of the concrete and an Asari yelled, "Your not Lariiae! Where is he and what have you done with him?!"

Kasumi stayed calm, "Woah, no need to get so angry, we're just covering for him. His wife didn't want his back injured and we were there to help."

The Asari wasn't buying it, "Uh huh, I'm going to need to search your ship. The boss is really paranoid about intruders tonight."

Kasumi sighed, "Well, there goes my plan A. Sorry guys."

Before Jack could react, Kasumi had pulled out her submachine gun and started shooting. He had to duck to the ground when the vehicle was getting shredded with bullet fire. The engines ramped up and Jack felt the ship ram into a barricade, thankfully breaking it. Vetra managed to crawl to the back of the vehicle and open the door a crack to start shooting out of it. There went any attempt at being stealthy, they were going to have to fight for every inch in the tower now. He joined Vetra and noticed the ship was gaining speed and height.

Vetra yelled to the front of the ship, "This doesn't look like the loading dock Kasumi, where are we going?"

Kasumi's voice was strained as she was shooting and driving, "With our cover blown there's no way the auction stays on, our best bet to find your sister is talking to Nassana directly. So, I'm driving us as close to her office without being shot down."

Jack couldn't argue with that logic and hoped Miranda could adapt her plan to fit their own, "Just tell us when we land so we don't get caught off guard."

Kasumi laughed putting both seat belts on, "Land? No, we're going to hit the tower so they aren't expecting us. Brace for impact Shepard."

True to her word, Kasumi rammed the front of the ship into the building at top speed. Jack and Vetra could only hang on to the back door handles and kick away at the incoming concrete blocks sliding towards them until the ship stopped moving. He wanted to take a moment to breathe when the ship finally stopped but, the sound of gunfire made him open the door completely and start shooting. Somehow Eclipse already had a team on this floor waiting for them and they were ready for a fight. However, when an Eclipse merc was kicked into the group of them from the side of the truck, he discovered the team wasn't there for him but for Feron. The familiar Drell was wearing an Alliance uniform and fighting some of the Asari with his own biotics.

Feron sent a warp at the last merc sending them flying out the open window, "You always tend to make a grand entrance Commander. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you what your doing here, and if you don't tell me, we're going to have a problem."

Kasumi hopped out of the drivers seat, wiping broken glass off her suit, "You must not know Shepard all that well. Threatening him tends to get people killed."

The Drell pivoted one foot to the right so he could see all three of them and drew his pistol, "I know Shepard quite well actually which is why I'm going to ask you again, what are you doing here?"

Jack was surprised by the sudden aggression from him, "I'm not here to hurt the Alliance, The Illusive Man wanted me to recruit an assassin for my mission against the Collectors."

Feron blinked before lowering his weapon, "Who is this assassin? What's his reason for being here?"

Vetra stepped forward around the truck to make sure Eclipse mercenaries weren't sneaking up on them before returning to Jack's side, "Thane Krios, apparently he's after Nassana for one reason or another. I'm here for the auction she's holding."

Feron's eyes went blank for a moment as he was pulled into a memory, "My mother lays on the table, limp with her eyes closed peacefully. I try to push past the nurses to wipe the blood from her dress, she never wanted to be dirty. I cry for my father but no one is there as her vitals go flat. I do not understand what that means until someone tells me she has passed a-"

Jack had to interrupt Feron's memory and shove him into cover when more Eclipse mercenaries arrived guns blazing. So he was right to assume Feron and Thane were related but, what did that mean? Had The Illusive Man orchestrated this evening just to get Feron and Thane together? The fact that Feron was wearing an Alliance uniform made him think the Drell wasn't here on Cerberus' behalf so it was possible. It would also explain Feron's reaction to him despite knowing previously that he worked for Cerberus. What made the Drell leave Cerberus before completing his mission was the bigger question though.

He fired a few blind shots over his head and looked down at Feron, "You alright? There's more Eclipse here that we could use help with."

Feron nodded before giving him an apologetic stare, "I'm sorry Shepard but I have to go now, Nassana has information on my own investigation. I can't let her get killed tonight."

A biotic warp forced them to roll apart and the Drell started running down a side hallway out of sight. Jack wanted to know what the hell was going on here but, his curiosity would have to wait, he had more Eclipse to kill. Since the Asari were much more interested in close combat with shotguns and biotics, the three of them stayed as far away as they could in the room with their assault rifles. It was a tough fight, the Asari used biotics as extra shielding on top of their armor so the three of them had to concentrate their fire on one Asari at a time. Eventually, the last Asari went down with a moan leaving them in a quiet room once again.

Vetra was breathing heavily and looking around for more of them, "What was that about Jack?"

He gave her a shrug and a sympathetic look, "Your guess is as good as mine. I have a feeling we need to hustle though, Nassana's about to get killed."

He didn't know how he was going to reach her office before the Drell but, he had the sense to know she was important enough to keep alive.


	31. Chapter 30: Meeting A Parent

Kal was surprised Jack wanted to come with him after some initial bitching. He had been careful not to tell her that Miranda had essentially blackmailed them and instead focused on the need to save Oriana. If Jack even slightly suspected Miranda was trying to threaten her life, she would most likely try to kill her. Honestly, he wouldn't have blamed her even if she tried but, it would seriously hurt their chances at defeating the Collectors. With Jack on board, all he had to do now was convince Miranda that she wouldn't be a problem. Sure she had never been a part of military operations before but this wasn't a true battle. All they had to do was sneak into a base, grab Oriana, and get back out. He was confident Jack couldn't screw that up, too badly.

Miranda was waiting for them at the cargo hold door for the Normandy and upon seeing Jack, shook her head, "Absolutely not, I won't take the chance that she'll fuck everything up."

Kal took a deep breath having rehearsed this moment in his head, "We might need her with us, what if Oriana doesn't associate me with the fleet? Just look at me, with my helmet damage I'll be lucky to be able to see everything around me let alone be recognizable. Jack was on Noveria at least."

Jack folded her arms and glared at her, "Look princess, I'm not happy about this either. I'd much rather be sulking down here but it's not about us. It's about a little girl that can't defend herself like I could."

Miranda just stared at them tapping her foot idly, "You will both follow my orders, understood? If I tell you to jump you say-"

Garrus' voice came from behind them, "We say how high. Your going to need all the help you can get and I want to see Eclipse mercenaries faces when Archangel decides to pay a visit from beyond the grave."

Kal hadn't been expecting Garrus to volunteer to come along, he certainly hadn't asked for the help either. Knowing the Turian, he wanted to make it extra crystal clear to him that he wasn't to blame for what happened on Omega. It was nice to know Garrus was still a good friend despite what happened, though he was curious what prompted him to want to come along. Garrus certainly wasn't here because he enjoyed Miranda's company or wanted to help her personally. Maybe he knew something about what the Eclipse were up to and wanted to dust off Archangel one more time.

Miranda glared in his direction, "As long as Saren doesn't come along with you fine. Too many people would get noticed where we're going."

Kal tilted his head curiously, "And where are we going Miranda?"

She merely started walking out of the cargo hold door, "You'll see when we get there, let's try not to attract too much attention to ourselves. You should all turn your omni tool's off as well, I don't want The Illusive Man knowing any of this happened."

As they followed Miranda through the streets of Illium, Kal couldn't help but admire the architecture. He was sure it served it's designed function just fine but, the flowing curves of all the buildings made him smile. If they weren't here as part of a life and death struggle, Kal would've loved to rent a room with Shepard and draw the skyline when they weren't busy. This place could be a nice retirement or honeymoon spot he thought to himself knowing those days would come. Kal chose to believe he was getting his happily ever after, it was a lot nicer than thinking about the alternative Miranda had come up with for them. They slowed to a stop waiting in a long line at a taxi stop.

Jack put her hands on her hips and looked around, "Why are all the people here so, nonchalant about everything? I mean we have guns all over us and no ones batting an eye. Do they honestly think nothing bad could happen here?"

Garrus chuckled lightly shaking his head, "Don't let this place fool you, it might look safe but it's no better than Omega. The Asari here just know how to hide murder and drug dealing better."

Kal turned his head back to peek at Garrus, "It sounds like you've been here before, been doing Archangel when I wasn't looking?"

Garrus smiled at him as they slowly moved up along the line, "Oh no, I'd need you to pull me out of the fire if I started again. Maybe literally... During my CSEC days we got a lot of arrivals from here. I probably arrested a third of them."

The voice of an Elcor caught his attention almost immediately, "Anxiously, Kal? Kal'Reegar is that you?"

He turned in the direction of the voice and was surprised to see Shelrrik staring back at him. How long had it been since he saw her last? It was probably close to seventeen years at this point, he suddenly felt bad he hadn't tried to reach out to her in all that time. The two hundred year old Elcor had been the first to find him on Dekuuna on his pilgrimage. Since Gerrel had denied him from even knowing who his mother was, this Elcor was effectively his Mom. Surely she had seen the news footage of him on the Citadel two years ago so he wasn't sure what to really say.

_o0o_

Sixteen years ago, Dekuuna:

The shuttle landed in a small field just outside an agricultural settlement in the middle of the night making Kal sigh. He hated being treated like he was still a small child, his father wanted him to be a marine and this was where he was sent? He should be landing on some Geth infested world where he would have to prove his worth in combat, instead he was being dropped off on the most peaceful world imaginable. Many high born Quarian's meant to be Admirals someday on their pilgrimages were sent to Dekuuna. The peaceful Elcor tended to enjoy taking care of children since their own probably left home a hundred years ago and Quarians could help tend to the many drones that the Elcor used in day to day activities. 

For Kal though, this start to his pilgrimage felt more like a hand out than an actual pilgrimage. All he was going to have to do was get some of the Elcor's drone technology and come straight back to the fleet. There wasn't any risk involved to get anything actually worth while back to the fleet and he would most likely be home in about a week. He had wanted something adventurous like the great Liat'Vael, risking life and limb to bring back the first Geth memory core back to the flotila for study. It was this way by design though, the great Han'Gerrel wasn't going to risk losing years of 'scientific progress' because of a dangerous pilgrimage. However, to avoid potential criticism from the other Admirals, Gerrel had sent him out here in the middle of the night without any food, water, or shelter technically making it a challenge. He wasn't worried though, he'd just steal anything he needed.

He took a second to observe how beautiful the triple moons looked glowing against the otherwise dark sky before making his way to the settlement. Compared to the cramped close quarters on the Migrant Fleet, this town seemed to be truly massive. Each resident had a home to call their own and businesses appeared to be in their own buildings separated away from homes. Not only was that unheard of on the fleet, it also made Kal's job that much easier. If he was extremely lucky, an Elcor drone would be for sale in one of the stores and he could steal it tonight. Even if the shops had security systems, all Kal would have to do was move fast, the giant elephant like Elcor wouldn't be able to catch him.

While he was searching for the settlements electronic store, Kal came across a cake shop. He was surprised to see cakes from almost every species represented in the window. Why would an isolated farming community on the Elcor homeworld want to cater to Humans? Asari? Kal could even see a small Batarian cake in the far back of the shop. Just before he was about to keep moving, Kal saw a Quarian birthday cake out of the corner of his eye. He should keep moving, maybe his father would be impressed by him completing his pilgrimage in a single solar cycle. However, due to spending almost everyday in that kriffing lab, he had never been able to celebrate his birthday before.

His stomach rumbled lightly and he looked to the window, "Kriff it, I'll laser a hole in the glass with my omni tool, have a piece of cake, and get out. Those bosh'tet Elcor are so slow I'll be able to have the whole thing."

After a quick look around to make sure no one was coming, Kal pulled out his omni tool and started cutting the glass to the cake shop. It was a relatively easy process, the Elcor were stupid enough to assume no one would ever try and steal anything from here. He couldn't believe other Quarians hadn't taken the same easy path he was and just steal a gift for his pilgrimage. They probably wanted to respect their family names and do it honorably, Kal didn't care about that. His father's reputation could burn with Keelah in one of the pits on Rannoch for all he cared and he had no idea who his mother was so that wasn't a problem.

The glass banged on the floor rather loudly but, no security alarm was triggered so Kal slipped inside the shop and headed for the cake. He could already smell it's sweet scent through his helmets suit sensors tempting him to take the helmet off. Unfortunately, he hadn't exposed himself to Elcor germs yet and didn't want to return to his father with a cold. That would've sent him back to the lab for more experiments and he didn't want that at all. So, he pulled out an empty nutrient tube with the intent of cramming some of the cake inside it. He deserved to celebrate his sixteenth birthday, even though it was three months after the fact.

A slightly feminine yet monotone voice made him jump, "Suspiciously, may I ask what a young Quarian is doing in my shop at three in the morning?"

Kal debated running, getting to his feet, "No I don't think you can you hunk of fat. You'll never be able to catch me!"

He turned around only to see a drone with it's taser function engaged, "Disappointed lecture, I am not a hunk of fat just like you are not the thief you appear to be. We are all layered individuals."

Kal tensed wondering if he could take a charge to the face and still be able to make a run for it, "You don't want to put me in jail, my father would probably burn this place to the ground no matter what deals we have with your government. It would be best if you just let me go on my way and forget I was here."

The Elcor shook her head and motioned to the hole he cut in the glass, "Teasing sarcasm, my glass wall will find it hard to forget you ripped it apart. Concern, are you alright? You look like you haven't eaten in days."

The question threw Kal for a loop, he had just broken into this woman's shop and she was asking if he was ok, "It's not really any of your damn business is it? Just let me go and we won't have any problems."

The Elcor let out a huff, "Gently, it is obvious you are in distress and not well cared for. Please let me make you something to eat and provide a place for you to sleep. Determined declaration, think of it as your punishment for breaking into my store and making me get out of bed. I think we both know you don't want the alternative."

_o0o_

Present day:

Jack was the first to fill the otherwise silent air, "Who the fuck is the elephant?"

Kal was about to respond when Shelrrik did first, "Chastising rebuke, does it look like I have floppy ears? A truck like nose? How about tusks? No? Then I am probably not an elephant young one."

He rubbed the back of his neck feeling uncomfortable, "Jack this is Shelrrik, Shelrrik meet Jack.. I'm sorry I haven't tried to say hello or get a card or visit or..."

Shelrrik probably frustrated about fifty people as she cut across several lines of people with her large body to get closer to Kal. Her warm thick gray neck hide rubbed against his helmet's side to shut him up. Not caring how ridiculous it looked, he wrapped his arms around her neck in a hug having missed her greatly. The day he had ultimately left Dekuuna and returned to the fleet was one of the hardest of his life. Up until meeting Shepard he had thought he had made the wrong decision. Hopefully Miranda wouldn't mind a brief delay, he couldn't just give her the cold shoulder.

The Elcor vibrated softly from the hug, "Soothingly, there, there it is alright. It is a mothers curse to worry about their children in silence. It is good to see you are alright. Boldly, where is that boy you were kissing on live extranet feeds? I have a thing or two to say to him about letting you out of a clean room in this state. A crack like that in your helmet could expose you to multiple germs and viruses."

Kal laughed at the question, "He's on a mission tonight but I don't know where he is exactly. Somewhere on Illium. And you worry too much, I have a strong immune system remember?"

Garrus let out a tiny guilty whisper, "This is pretty good compared to what I put him through on Omega."

Jack sounded confused, "Let me get this straight, your his mom? A Quarian guy came up to you and slept with you, and he popped out? Because I would pay to see how fucked up that shit would be."

Miranda had an annoyed yet analytical tone, "Biologically it's impossible, most likely it's unofficial sentiment."

Shelrrik pulled away from him and puffed up slightly, "Proudly, Kal'Reegar nar Rayya is my son in all but through blood. Since his mother foolishy left him with his horrible father, I showed him love and compassion. Selfishly, my only regret is that we Elcor do not have hands. I would've clinged to him and never let him go."

Kal cleared his throat to correct her, "It's actually Kal'Shepard vas Normandy now. The man you saw me kiss is my husband."

Shelrrik rubbed her neck against him again, "With overwhelming joy and excitement, I am so thrilled for your engagement. When will the wedding be held? I will have to cancel all of my upcoming events in order to cater and attend."

He didn't have the heart to tell her that there technically wasn't a wedding but unfortunately, Garrus jumped in, "You didn't really miss much. I think all Kal did was say the vows and then they were married. Can't really blame them though, we were handling a nuclear explosive at the time."

Shelrrik blinked and pulled away from him slightly, "Alarmed, please tell me you are not following the orders of that pathetic excuse of a father you have? That sounds like something he would make you do."

Kal shook his head quickly, "No, I promised you I'd never do something for him that compromised who I am and I meant it." His exile came to mind but he wasn't going to tell her that, "I'd love to sit down somewhere and catch up bu-"

Miranda interrupted him, "Shelrrik, you have an apartment in the Dantius Towers correct? Maybe we could stop by for a few minutes and catch up? I'm sure Shepard's mission won't last forever and I bet he'd enjoy meeting you."

That offer made Kal want to hit her over the head with the hardest thing he could find. Miranda hadn't wanted him to come along because she believed Oriana would respond to him, no he was just a tool. She must've known Shelrrik lived in the Dantius Towers and wanted to use his connection with the Elcor to get inside. He suddenly worried that Miranda would try and harm the Elcor, or try to pass off everything that happened on her. If Miranda seriously believed she could use him like this without any consequences, she had another thing coming.

He was going to object when Shelrrik answered, "Delightedly, I would love to have the company and the chance to meet this Shepard. If you will follow me I can take you to my shuttle . It should be able to fit all of you."

Kal desperately wanted to say something to stop her, "That would be great Shel but, I don't want to cut into any plans you had tonight."

Miranda replied quickly, "We can't stay long, just a quick tour so we know the address for another time. We'll be in and out before you know it."

Kal tensed but knew he wasn't going to be able to stop this. He needed to see what Miranda had planned before he started shooting.


	32. Chapter 31: The Phantom Knights

The trip to the Dantius Towers was a quiet one as the four of them sat in the back of Shelrrik's shuttle. Normally in a regular Kodiak shuttle, they would've been forced to sit tightly together on a single row of seats. However, because the ship was made for four Elcor to sit comfortably, they had even more room to sit around. The space gave Kal plenty of privacy to consider attacking Miranda right now, he knew what she was up to. The Elcor were known for taking in stray children so, it would be fairly easy to convince The Illusive Man that Oriana just miraculously escaped and got Shelrrik to help her. Why Miranda was so hell bent on keeping her name away from any report The Illusive Man would see on the topic was beyond him. Wasn't she a part of his inner circle? She certainly acted like she was on the Normandy.

Shelrrik spoke from the front seat, "With anxiety and concern, is everyone alright back there? The silence is making me worry."

Kal tried to sound as relaxed as possible, "We're fine Shel, just a little tense knowing what we have to do tonight after our visit."

Shelrrik's black eyes looked at the mirror to the back seat, "Knowingly, you cannot trick me with that tone Kal. Something is wrong, and yet, you do not wish to tell me."

Miranda folded one leg over the other in her seat facing away from the mirror, "He's just worried I'm planning something that is quite frankly beneath me." In a sloppy version of Kelr'ya she signed, "I don't resort to killing a two hundred something year old Elcor to get what I want. Relax, I have you."

Shelrrik blinked a few times, "Mildly confused, I do not know whether to be panicked or relieved."

Kal answered aloud, "It's nothing to worry about Shel, just my work." He quickly signed back, "Fuck you for not telling me what you were doing. This was a threat, one I won't tolerate."

Jack coughed glaring at them both, "Could you not do whatever your doing with your hands? We all know your having a conversation and it's fucking annoying."

Shelrrik was the first to speak, "Sympathetically, you will get used to it child. Relieved, we are here."

Miranda opened her door with a tilt of her head, "It won't happen again."

Kal saw genuine shame in her face as she exited the shuttle. He would've maybe forgiven her if he thought she actually felt sorry for putting the Elcor in the middle of this. The problem was that he only believed she was pretending to be sorry to keep him on board with her mission. Everything was just a game to her so she could get what she wanted, none of the emotions she chose to show off were real. It was probably a good way to interact with an abusive father but not the rest of the world. Maybe if she hadn't then been taught by The Illusive Man to be a cold hearted spy afterwards she would be a better person. Then again maybe not, Miranda seemed like someone who enjoyed every second of what she did.

Now that he wasn't focused on worrying about what Miranda was going to do, Kal could stare in awe at the section of the Dantius Towers they were under. The two towers twisted around each other like lovers in a tight embrace connected with multiple bridges connecting the towers. Kal wondered how the Asari architects managed to pull off such stunning curves without the entire structure collapsing. His best guess was that gravity on Illium was a fraction less than the galactic standard and thus let designers get away with things like this. After they defeated the Reapers once and for all, he would love to become a blueprint artist for a place like this. 

He helped Shelrrik open her shuttle but noticed she was staring at the door to presumably her apartment, "What's wrong?"

The Elcor gave her best impression of a shrug, "Self loathingly, I seemed to have forgotten to close my door before I left my home. My mind isn't what it once was apparently."

Garrus grabbed his rifle and tensed, "Unless you invited a couple of assassins, I don't think you left the door open. I'm reading six individuals inside the apartment with very similar energy signatures with those on Luna."

Miranda gave him a stunned look, "Impossible, the assassins you encountered on Luna were Cerberus Phantom Knights. They wouldn't even know any of us would come here tonight."

Jack was glowing bright blue and threw a biotic warp forward, "Think again sweetheart, I think your status as Cerberus cheerleader is over."

Kal watched as Jack's warp collided with a sword that had been tossed right at them. His gut twisted into a thousand knots as the sword returned to one of the assassins and they flipped back to their feet. Garrus and Kal had actually seen these people twice, once on Luna working for Kai Leng, and the other time on Omega with Cora Harper. While the first possibility was certainly dangerous, the second gave him chills down his spine. He had lied to Jack about everyone involved in her experimentation was dead to protect her. What if Cora was here to reclaim her prize possession? His immediate concern had to be get Jack out of here and then get the three of them as far away from Cerberus as possible. No matter who sent the Knights, it was clear Miranda was burned and The Illusive Man had betrayed them all.

Shelrrik stumbled about on her front two legs, "Sheer panic and terror, Run, run back to the shuttle."

Kal started shooting at the first assassin who was spinning back into the apartment, "Jack, take Shel and get out of here. That's an-"

A sword swinging directly for his throat made Kal duck and switch targets to the assassin that appeared right next to him. He tried to get a shot off but, the assassins' thigh slapped it aside with one of their kicks as they tried to stab him with the sword. Since his helmet was still covered with omni gel, it was going to be difficult to fight hand-to-hand but, he had to try. He side stepped away from the stabbing thrust to try and elbow them across the temple. The assassin ducked, turned ninety degrees on one knee, and tried to stab him again, only to be shot by Garrus. The Turian was floating in the air with his jetpack and shooting down at the assassins with his rifle.

Jack lifted the second assassin in the air with her biotics and tossed them off the ledge of the landing pad into Illium's traffic lane, "Fuck that! If your staying, I'm staying."

He picked up his shotgun from off the ground and shot at another assassin coming closer, "We had a deal you would listen to what I said Jack."

To his frustration, Shelrrik was out of the shuttle as well with combat drones surrounding her, "With regained composure, leave my home or be destroyed."

Kal knew they were too stubborn to listen to him and turned his attention to the remaining three assassins. Two were on Miranda desperately slashing and swinging at her but she seemed to know their movements, and was able to anticipate where they were going to swing next. He saw several openings she had to kill them but, she curiously chose not to. The other assassin was jumping on top of Shelrrik's shuttle trying to get closer to Garrus who was floating still and looking down his scope. Kal didn't hesitate to fire but, because of the gel on his helmet, he missed wildly. The assassin spun around to see him and jumped in the air to stab at him. Jack caught them in mid air and hurled them away from the building.

Jack gave him a confident smirk, "Your welcome by the way.. Oww, son of a!"

One of the assassins Miranda was playing with had grabbed her pistol and shot at Jack. Thankfully, the shot only clipped across Jack's shoulder but, it made him panic. He knew Miranda was just trying to get information out of the two remaining assassins but, they were starting to actually hurt people he cared about. He took a point blank shot at the first assassin killing them instantly while Garrus took another headshot killing the second. An uncomfortable silence fell over them as the last assassin fell. The implications of the attack were pretty obvious, they had lost Cerberus support, and yet none of them wanted to say it aloud.

He looked over at Jack who was putting medi gel on her shoulder wound, "How bad is it?"

Jack seemed to shrug it off, "The bullet went all the way through at least so I think I'm fine."

Kal walked over to her to make sure she didn't make a mess of the wound, "There's a reason I told you to go with Shelrrik, these people are dangerous and could have killed you."

Jack glared at him with real anger, "They almost killed you three times if I wasn't there, so don't act like your somehow more qualified to deal with them then I am."

They all jumped when Miranda shouted loudly, "Enough! Both of you just shut up! I need time to think..."

It was the first time Kal had seen her display any real emotion that he could believe. On the surface, Miranda was just angry the two of them were fighting. Underneath that though, Kal could see an untamed fear dancing across her eyes from the attack. He assumed that she was protected from her father by The Illusive Man, and now that protection had disappeared in the blink of an eye. With that in mind, Kal started to turn his omni tool back on, he needed to warn Shepard not to trust anyone Cerberus related.

Miranda marched directly up to him, "What are you doing with that? I told you to leave it off."

Kal tapped his contacts for Jack, "I'm telling Jack that he needs to look out for those assassins. He won't be expecting them wherever he is."

She yanked his omni tool off and chucked it over the landing pad railing, "Shepard's fine, The Illusive Man wouldn't jeopardize the mission fighting the Collectors. This is all about me."

Garrus bent down over the only dead assassin still on the landing pad, "This is Cerberus armor Miranda, Kal's right we need to call Shepard."

Shelrrik's monotone voice jumped in, "Scoldingly, Kal what have you gotten yourself into now? Cerberus is a terrorist group intent on killing all aliens. Sarcasm, that includes you if you were not-"

Kal interrupted her, "Not now Shel. Miranda, we need to get out of here right now and find Shepard. Your sister might not even be here if this was just a trap to get you killed."

Miranda shook her head, "No, you don't understand, Niket would never just sell me out like this, we've known each other for years."

Jack coughed standing next to him, "Guys, there's a fucking construction vehicle sticking out of the building up there."

Garrus laughed, staring at the strange sight, "Shepard must've been asked to drive again, he's the only person I know who can miss a landing pad that badly."

Miranda bit her lower lip, "We still have a chance to save Oriana. Come on, we have to get out of here."

Kal wanted to flee with Jack right now but, his cyar'ika was still in danger. For now he had to follow Miranda wherever she was going. He just hoped it wasn't already too late.


	33. Chapter 32: Going For The Kill

Sometimes Jack wished he didn't have to jump through twenty different hoops to get a job done. It would be so much easier if the Eclipse mercenaries just listened to him when he said he just wanted to talk with Nassana. Instead, it seemed like they threw every merc in their entire gang at him every few feet. He couldn't actually blame them for not believing him, he had just used a transport to break in. They had only managed to get to the elevator lobby three rooms away from the crashed construction vehicle and he had already run out of ammo. Currently, Jack was hanging from the ceiling because an Asari was using her biotics to keep him there. He had to hope Feron was having better luck getting to Nassana, otherwise they were in trouble.

Kasumi slid under the Asari, using her submachine gun on the woman's knee caps. "Hope you land on your feet Shepard."

The Asari let go of her biotics sending Jack back to the ground with a heavy thud. He grabbed a rifle from a dead Salarian next to him and started shooting at another Asari chasing Kasumi with biotic warps. Kasumi surprised him with her acrobatic skills, running up the wall a few feet only to jump off it getting behind the Asari. Before the weapon he was using broke the Asari's biotic barrier, Kasumi had kicked her into the wall she had just jumped off of and shot her in the back of the head. Jack got up to his feet and looked around for Vetra only to see the Turian using the stock of her rifle to slam against a Salarian's cranial horns.

He grabbed her shoulder after the third time, "We have to go before more of them arrive."

Vetra was shaking with anger staring at all the carnage they had just created, "We took too long, no way Sid is anywhere near Illium after all the noise we started."

Jack knew her well enough to know lying to her was a bad idea, "Your right, the auction holders probably moved their 'products' the moment we got here. That doesn't mean we can just give up though. Nassana is still alive and has to know where they're all going."

Kasumi was holding the elevator door open for them, "Come on you two, Nassana's office is up this way."

The three of them entered the elevator and Jack could only hope that it wouldn't stop. Vetra was absolutely right, their dramatic entrance along with the amount of Asari they had to deal with wasted too much time. Sidera and most likely Oriana were being shipped back off to whichever slaver or monster owned them originally. His deal with Miranda to keep them safe after the Collectors were defeated was definitely not going to happen but, he wasn't worried about that right now. Even if they were able to get to a talkative Nassana before Thane tried to kill her, it would be months if not years before they could track down who belonged to who. He wished he could do something more for Vetra but, this was all he could do right now.

Vetra was watching the numbers on the elevator display slowly tick upwards, "Is there anyway we can make this thing go faster?"

Kasumi smiled in her direction and yet shook her head, "I'm not that kind of miracle worker Vetra. Just relax, even if she's dead by the time we get there I'm sure Krios won't delete her files. Paper trails are always more accurate than testimony anyways."

Vetra glared at her starting to pace around the small elevator, "And if it's encrypted she'll be in her thirties by the time I get a lead."

Kasumi scoffed at that while reloading her gun, "Pfft, please Vetra. Eclipse encryption keys aren't that complicated, it might be a week but nothing more. I bet the password is something like, 'kids r us' or something just as stupid."

When she didn't say anything, Jack spoke up, "I think she knows that, it's just a few extra days with a slaver could feel like years to Sid."

Jack could hear gunfire coming from above them so, he quickly pushed Vetra away from the elevator doorway. Sure enough, when the door opened they were greeted by a hail of gunfire meant to kill a small army. He peeked around the corner quickly to see an Asari that he assumed was Nassana hiding behind two drones resting on tripods. The guns used on the drones were usually strapped to Alliance tanks, not even his palladium laced armor could take that on. He was going to have to talk Nassana down and fast.

Once the burst of bullets was over, he heard Feron say, "I told you it's over Nassana, those Cerberus swordsmen were just the beginning. You know things that are valuable and that makes you a loose end. The Alliance can grant you immunity right now."

Kasumi winked at them from the other side of the elevator doorway and whispered, "Keep them talking for a few seconds." She tapped her omni tool and disappeared.

Nassana had her own pistol drawn pointing to where Feron had taken cover, "The Alliance can't protect me! You know the Harpers were an Alliance family, I would be slaughtered if they have any friends left there."

Jack spoke loudly hoping she didn't know about his current employment, "Nassana, I'm Commander Shepard with the Alliance Navy. My friend is telling you the truth, we can put you under our protection if you talk."

Nassana's voice shook and she fired at the elevator entrance, "Shepard? Your dead! The only way your talking to me right now is if she rebuilt you. I can't trust any of you!"

Feron groaned from his position hiding behind a separation wall, "Your not really helping Shepard. Nassana, just ignore him and listen to me. I just have a few questions about Cora and then I will be on my way. That's it, you don't have to give The Illusive Man up."

The lights flickered for a few seconds and the drones powered down as Kasumi revealed she was standing infront of Nassana's desk, "Oops, did I trip over that? I had no idea it was the power cord. Maybe you should start talking now?"

Nassana lowered her weapon in defeat allowing Jack and Vetra to come around the corner of the elevator and into the room. He was relieved that they had gotten to her before Thane but, now Jack had a choice to make. It was clear from the way Feron was talking about her, Nassana could be the key to bring Cerberus down for good. Jack would normally be one hundred percent on board with that idea except for the fact that the Collectors were still a threat. Nothing had changed with the Alliance to make him expect they were suddenly going to believe him. So, he could kill Nassana behind Feron's back to give him more time or, he could do the right thing and let this play out. It was a hard decision but, his crew came first and Vetra needed Nassana alive.

Nassana looked at Feron with a resigned expression, "What do you wanna know?"

Feron relaxed as though an anvil had been lifted off his shoulders, "The Red Rose, does Cora Harper still fly the Red Rose? Hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved if you give me the right answer."

Nassana gave him a furious glare, "You've caused all this damage to my property, and my life, just for that?!"

Vetra took the opportunity to add, "And I want to know what you've done with my sister but that seems less important now."

Before she could answer any of them, a Drell's voice came from the ceiling, "Amonkira, lord of hunters. Grant that my hands be steady, my aim be true, and my feet be swift. And should the worst come to pass, grant me forgiveness."

Feron went running in Nassana's direction but, they were all to far away to stop what was happening. A flashbang grenade landed at the center of the Asari's desk and a foot coming from a vent above them kicked Kasumi backwards. By the time the effects of the flashbang wore off, Nassana was dead on top of the table and Thane Krios was standing over her. Jack thought it was curious the Drell had immediately closed his eyes and clasped his hands together as if he was in prayer. Wouldn't he want to greet his son? While he would have more time to go after the Collectors now, Jack couldn't help but feel his heart sink for Vetra. Another promising lead to find Sidera was dying right infront of her eyes.

Vetra's eyes widened and she ran towards Nassana with medi gel, "Fuck!"

Jack moved to help her even though he knew it was pointless, as he watched Feron approaching Thane while glowing blue with biotics, "Were you even paying attention to what I was saying, or did your contract just have to be filled no matter what?! Enkindlers forbid that the great Thane Krios have another spot on his record."

Thane spoke quietly not moving from his position, "Be quiet Kolyat, I'm praying for her to go across the sea."

Feron threw a warp at him with tears welling up in his eyes, "That's what you have to say to me? I thought you were dead! DEAD! I was raised by a Hanar because of it. Now you have the nerve to interrupt my mission, kill the person I was questioning, and put me off for a prayer?!"

Thane casually slapped away the warp with his own biotics while keeping his eyes closed, "Even the wicked deserve to be taken across the sea. Your just angry because I wasn't there for you when your mother died."

Feron sent another warp in his direction that Jack had to duck away from, "You weren't ever there when she was alive. Always away on 'business.' Why should you be there when she died?"

Thane sighed opening his black eyes and took a calm posture, "Your mother..... They killed her to get to me. It was my fault."

The immediate silence was cut off with Vetra's fist desperately trying to give Nassana CPR even though the Asari's neck had been broken, "Come on, wake up! Spirits don't do this to Sid."

Feron lowered his biotic charge, "What are you talking about...? Don't you dare lie to me."

Thane stayed exactly where he was, "After her body was given to the sea, I went to find them. The trigger men, the ringleaders. Nassana was the last person I needed to eliminate in order to free myself of my pain. I wanted you to have a different life then mine. It's clear now that I should have stayed with you."

Feron gave him a cold harsh laugh, "I guess it's too bad for me you waited so long, huh? Now I have to figure out how I'm going to clean up this mess... You just destroyed years of work for me.... Fuck!"

Thane reached out to grab his shoulder, "Kolyat. I've taken many bad things out of this world. You're the only good thing I ever added to it. Come home with me and we can start over."

Feron slapped his hand away, "It's Feron now thank you, and I have a job to do. People are counting on me." He marched over to Kasumi, "I know you stole her omni tool already, I'm going to need it as Alliance evidence."

Kasumi stood up and dusted herself off, "No can do officer, me and Shepard need what's probably on her omni tool now that she's dead."

Jack stood up and stepped infront of her, "She's right, we need that data for the auction she was supposed to be having tonight. Maybe we can work together again just like old times."

Thane grabbed his pistol from the table, "If you are really both working with the Alliance, you may wish to brace yourselves. I see Kai Leng and several Cerberus Phantoms fighting Archangel on the lower floor."

Five minutes earlier:

_o0o_

Kal felt terrible now about just leaving Shelrrik like that but, Jack could use his help right now. If The Illusive Man really had decided to backstab them because they were helping Miranda, he could walk right into a trap and not know what to expect. Keelah had been cruel enough to take his cyar'ika away from him once, he prayed she wasn't vengeful enough to do it again. Of course, Miranda was in denial thinking there had to be another explanation for the Phantoms appearance here. She trusted her contact fully which was why they were running into a large dark room just below the top of the tower.

Garrus tapped his shoulder and quickly signed, "More Knights are in here, gonna get a good vantage point."

He was about to warn Miranda they were running head long into a trap when all the room's lights flashed on brightly. Kal slid to a stop only to see Cora Harper standing next to a man he assumed was Miranda's contact. Cora hadn't changed a day from the time he saw her on Omega at the Blue Suns base. She still appeared to be in her twenties with white hair that flopped to one side to cover the wound he had given her. Unlike Omega however, Cora was wearing Cerberus Phantom armor and carrying their signature sword. Kal stood infront of Zero to protect her from being seen.

Cora clapped her hands together slowly, "Congratulations on following orders and getting here on time! Look everyone, the traitor's good at following orders when her own life depends on it."

A boo came from the other Knights surrounding them and Miranda took a shot barely missing her, "Where's Oriana?"

Niket stepped forward a little, "Where she belongs, safe with her family."

Miranda's hand started shaking as she realized what was happening, "Why, Niket? You were my friend. You helped me get away from my father."

Niket gave her a sympathetic look, "Yes! Because you wanted to leave. That was your choice! But if I'd known that you'd stolen a baby-"

Miranda interrupted him sounding defensive and vulnerable, "I didn't steal her! I rescued her!"

Cora gave a snort of a laugh, "Just like you tried your hardest to rescue Leng on Luna? Give me a break."

Another boo from all around them made Kal realize there were a lot more than six Phantoms in here with them. Cora could probably kill them whenever she wanted and yet, she was letting Miranda argue with Niket. She was playing up to the invisible crowd as if she was putting on a stage performance, but who was she playing too? The only thing that mattered right now was getting Zero out of here, he had promised to keep her out of Cerberus hands and he had meant it. He just had to figure out how they were going to make it out of this ambush in one piece.

Kal whispered quietly trying not to move, "Jack, I want you to run as fast as you can back the way we came. No matter what happens to me, you run and won't look back."

He wanted to scream when she said loudly, "I'm not afraid of any of you fuckers, you should've seen what I did to your friends outside!"

Cora pivoted to face them with a wild grin on her face, "Zero! I'm so proud of you for getting out of the lab and actually showing off your powers! Golo told me not to give up on you but, I gotta admit it was hard when you ran away."

Jack stepped around Kal ready for a fight, "I don't know who you are lady but I don't belong to you. Everyone involved with Noveria died with the neutron purge."

Kal knew his lie was about to come out but, he tried one last time to stop it, "Jack, I'm ordering you to leave right now and let me deal with Cora."

Cora took on a mocking childish tone, "Kal...how could you do that to her? You know me, we go as far back as Noveria technically. I don't appreciate what you did to Golo on Omega but, he wasn't useful anymore. You see sweetie, Kal knew I ran Noveria because he killed my second in command."

Jack stepped away from him and gave him a devastated glance, "You...you lied to me....?" 

Niket was yelling now, "From a life of wealth and happiness?! You weren't saving her! You were getting back at your father!"

Miranda sounded like she was going to break down into tears, "You don't know what my father wants for her. She's not safe with him."

It was Niket's turn to sound defensive, "I know that I've been poor, Miri. I didn't much care for it. He wants to make her life better, he told me himself."

Miranda raised her gun towards him, "Which means that you're the only loose end. This isn't how I wanted it to end, Niket. I'm going to miss you..."


	34. Chapter 33: Round Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone!

Kal tensed up waiting to see who would make the first blow and half assumed it would be from Zero to him. The devastated and hurt expression on her face hurt worse than any physical wound could have. He had just wanted to protect her and keep her away from Cora but instead, it looked like he had shielded Cerberus and lied to her. He could only imagine what he would've felt like if Shelrrik had secretly known something about his father and kept it from him, only to find out from Gerrel that they worked together. It would have made him feel like he had no one he could trust and depend on. 

A shot from Miranda's gun made him quickly look over only to see Kai Leng materialise infront of Niket. Even though this assassin was covered in armor from head to toe, Kal knew it was him because of his confident swagger. He also recognized the black helmet with silver trim around the eye shield as belonging to Leng from their encounter on the Luna base. Kal was a little concerned that he had recovered so quickly but, there were plenty of artificial eyes he could use to see. The assassins' armor had taken her bullet in stride and he pulled his sword from his jacket sleeve.

Leng's robotic voice would've sent a chill up his spine if he hadn't heard it before, "What was the last thing you said to me on Luna...? Oh, that's right, 'Marlboro thanks you for your service.' Seems pretty appropriate right now."

Jack charged past him with her biotics raging and going straight for Cora. Of course she was expecting that and used biotic energy stored in her sword casually blast Jack into the wall behind them. Kal wanted to look back to make sure she was ok but, he knew taking his eyes off Cora would be a deadly mistake. He fired a shotgun blast in her direction but, just like all the other Cerberus Phantoms he faced, she had the speed to spin out of the way with a smirk on her face. Since she hadn't been that fast on Omega, Kal guessed that the Phantom Knight armor itself was what made them so fast. Unfortunately, he wasn't going to be able to convince her to take it off anytime soon.

Cora threw her arms out wide and spun in a quick circle, "Don't let us have all the fun, engage!"

Before he could react, multiple Cerberus Phantoms started dropping from the rafters, intent on surrounding them. Kal counted at least ten so far and more were coming making him start to really worry. Just taking six of them alone had been struggle enough but, now there was more of them and their leaders were running the show. At least Leng looked like he wasn't going directly for the kill, letting Miranda attack him so he could slap the hits away like they were coming from a child. He barely had time to avoid a kick Cora sent to his head for even taking a glance in Miranda's direction. 

She swung her sword wide knowing he would avoid it only to send a punch to his gut, "You know I was hoping she'd bring you along. We never got to finish our last conversation."

Kal used his now empty shotgun to block her sword strikes while trying to kick her, "I think blowing up your base was a good enough way to end that talk. Perfectly summarizes just how I feel about you."

Her sword's biotics sent him sliding into a pile of crates, pinning his back to them, "Oh no, I meant the conversation about who we keep closest to us can hurt us the worst. I don't think you took that to heart."

He kicked her backwards trying to not let the emotions she was so transparently trying to goad out of him from taking over. Cora was obviously trying to bring up Erash and the fact that the Batarian had made a deal with her to keep him safe. She was taunting him with the fact that she knew something about him that he hadn't. Kal moved to punch her but, two Phantoms landed infront of her ready for the attack. He had to quickly retreat to avoid a flurry of sword strikes from his three opponents. His gut twisted in terrifying knots when he glanced over in Miranda's direction only to see she was getting her ass handed to her. Leng was taking every little mistake she made and was punishing her with a sword strike.

Garrus landed next to him and shot the Phantoms in the head, "I think we're really getting sick of your lectures lady. Why don't you become a philosopher since you like to talk so much."

Cora was dodging his attacks like she was a dancer for all of her life, "Your here too? I should've brought my new friend along, it would've really been a reunion."

Kal made a move to punch her while she was mid spin, "Your going to pay for what you've done to us."

His fist connected with her jaw in a satisfying pop but, her sword managed to get a gash up the back of his suit. Thank Keelah the zipper along his spine was thick enough to protect his actual back from the hit but, he was sure it looked like a death blow to anyone not paying attention. Kal took a gamble that the punch he gave her covered up Cora's vision and pretended to crumple to the ground from the hit. She would most likely make a mistake he could capitalize on if she thought she was only fighting Garrus.

Cora stared down at his 'dead' body with a stunned expression on her face, "Well shit, I didn't want it to be that easy. Looks like good old Shepard's going to need to find a new husband."

Kal instantly regretted his decision to play dead when he heard Zero yell, "I was the only one allowed to kick his ass you BITCH!"

He stood back up as fast as he could to try and show Jack that only his zipper had been hit but, her biotic wave was faster sending Cora and herself across the large room. The glowing blue trail was easy to follow at least, Kal just had to reach them before Cora wasn't in the mood to play with her food anymore. However, a yelp of pain made Kal turn his head to see Miranda was in real trouble. Blood soaked her usually perfectly clean white Cerberus uniform coming from at least a dozen cuts via Kai Leng's sword. Cerberus Phantoms had surrounded the pair pointing their swords in the circle. Miranda obviously wasn't getting out of that without help.

Garrus motioned in the direction Cora and Jack went, "Go get them, I've got this."

_o0o_

The look of fear on Vetra and Kasumi's faces perfectly summarized how Jack felt right now. There was no mistaking the fact that Cerberus Phantoms, as Thane called them, were attacking Miranda and the rest of his team. Cerberus had betrayed them just as he feared when he agreed to help Miranda in the first place, and the Collectors were still out there kidnapping people on Sovereign's orders. His entire world was collapsing but, right now he had to focus on rescuing Kal and the others. He was letting Thane and Feron lead the five of them so they could get as close as possible to the fighting without breaking the element of surprise.

They could hear Kai Leng's helmeted voice as they got closer, "Pull the division out, I'll finish her on my own."

Miranda sounded like she was in pain, "I hope you know what your doing Leng.. We both know The Illusive Man doesn't tolerate agents going behind his back."

A new voice made Jack move a little faster, "Your not going to be finishing anything you racist pig."

When they rounded the corner, Jack saw another Human wearing civilian clothes had grabbed Leng's wrist holding his sword. He had saved Miranda from taking a fatal blow but, the assassin expertly spun around and used a pistol in his other hand to shoot at the man's gut. Miranda grimaced but showed no other emotion as she kneeled in front of Leng covered in blood. Garrus suddenly started shooting at the retreating Phantoms which was their opportunity to attack. The Phantoms were too busy running towards the window at the other end of the room to dodge their attacks. Thane and Feron both sent biotic warps in Leng's direction getting him away from Miranda.

Leng rolled back up to his feet, "Full retreat, I repeat, evacuate immediately."

Jack slid to a crouch at Miranda's side while shooting at Leng's armor pointlessly, "You alright? I've got medi gel right here."

She struggled for a minute but stood up, "I'm fine, at least I will be." She walked over to the dying civilian with a limp, "I can't believe you sold me out Niket. I trusted you to save Oriana, and you did this to me instead? Don't think saving my life makes what you did any better. You doomed a little girl to death just because she wasn't perfect in every way."

Niket struggled to laugh with blood drooling out the side of his mouth, "Heh, looks like I'm the worlds greatest actor after all... I told you, Oriana is where she belongs, with her family... I thought you'd get the hint but, I guess not. Cora can be lied to...remember that."

She stared in disbelief as Niket slowly died from the multiple shots to the gut. To Jack's shock, all of the Cerberus Phantoms were jumping out the window of the tower as an escape plan. Were they just all killing themselves on mass so they couldn't be captured? Jack saw a nearly suitless Kal pulling an angry Zero away from the window suggesting that going after them wasn't safe. It was hard not to panic seeing Kal's suit zipper ripped apart like that, what if there was a deadly virus in here that Kal hadn't been exposed to in the past? He had to remind himself that Han'Gerrel exposed Kal to a wide variety of normally lethal germs to test his creation, Kal was going to be fine. Unfortunately, Leng jumped out of a window as well leaving the group completely alone. He was glad they had a few seconds to breathe but, that didn't solve any of their problems.

Miranda injected herself with a stim pack and headed towards the elevator near by, "If Niket was telling the truth, I have to get to the docking bay and make sure the Quarians pick Oriana up."

Vetra stepped infront of her, "Not before I get some answers, was this all just a set up for you? Can we even go back to the Normandy now or are we fucked?"

Miranda started to move around her, "I don't know and that's not my concern right now. If I were any of you, I'd get as far away from here as you can. Forget about the Collectors."

Jack's eyebrows shot up, "Forget about the Collectors? Miranda, Sovereign is using them to restart the cycle, we can't just pretend that isn't happening."

Miranda turned to face him, "Then convince the Alliance, I don't know what else to tell you Shepard. With Leng and the Knights here, there's no way The Illusive Man didn't want this."

A familiar voice made them all jump, "Perhaps you should communicate with me first before assuming I went behind your back to kill you all."

Jack turned around wondering if they were going to finally see The Illusive Man in person but, it was just a hologram Jacob had placed on the ground. His immediate question was how Jacob had been able to get in the Dantius Towers so quickly but, he had killed a lot of the security trying to get here himself. The real problem was he didn't know if he could trust Cerberus at this point. The Illusive Man was clearly suggesting he had nothing to do with Cora's ambush but, that was a tough pill to swallow. Cora had been with plenty of Cerberus Phantoms as well as Kai Leng.

Kal lifted up one of the dead assassins off the ground to show the hologram, "Sending these guys after us is a pretty good indication you want us dead all on it's own."

The Illusive Man lit a cigarette while standing in the small holographic circle, "Miranda didn't tell me she received warning that her sister was in danger. I would've warned you all that Cora was trying to reconnect with some of her former followers for a coup. I'm handling it but, I never anticipated it would bleed into your mission Shepard."

Jack folded his arms in disbelief, "You expect me to believe that your daughter had that many supporters on her own that would leave Cerberus and follow her? Even Kai Leng? I'm finding that difficult to take at face value."

The Illusive Man puffed on his cigarette looking distracted for a few seconds, "Up until I realized she had frozen you, Cora was in charge of an entire Cerberus cell. Plenty of individuals have followed her for years. She and Leng have been around each other since they were born, and he has personal reasons to want you dead. When Cora approached him with the opportunity to kill you, he accepted her offer to leave Cerberus for her. Furthermore, why would I want to kill you? With the Collectors on the march, no Human is safe."

Feron cut in stepping towards the holograms view, "Do you know what ship she took with her when she defected? I could use my connections with the Alliance to hunt her ship down."

The Illusive Man regarded him briefly, "I have some of the best assassins in the galaxy looking to hunt them down, I would rather not potentially out you as a Cerberus agent just so they could have some help. I am glad you were able to reunite with your father. Consider it a gift for all your hard work for me."

Feron was tense from head to toe but, the Drell bowed his head, "Thank you sir."

The Illusive Man inclined his head in return, "I'm going to suggest you stay on the Normandy for the time being. Since the Alliance is looking for information on the Collectors, being on the Normandy could be a good way to feed them relevant data."

Feron bent down on one knee, "I will do as you command like always sir."

Zero stormed past Jack looking just as angry as when they first met, "You just expect us to believe you've hired bounty hunters and leave it at that? How would you feel if I went after her and crushed her skull in half? I bet you'd change your tune then huh?"

Without missing a beat, The Illusive Man answered, "If you wanted to join the hunt, your more than welcome to. I do have to point out you wouldn't have the protection that being on the Normandy is giving you however. Shepard, I don't have any news on the Collectors right now but, I'm close to something. I'd ask you stay on Illium until I can confirm."

Jack was still skeptical but, he was making sense, "I think we could all use a little shore leave right now so that won't be a problem. Do you think they'll stick around as well? I wouldn't want to have to fight them again in our condition."

The Illusive Man shook his head and started pulling away from the camera, "They're on the run now Shepard, you shouldn't have to deal with them again. I'll keep you informed on the Collectors."

The image disappeared leaving them alone in momentary silence. At least he could still count on The Illusive Man's support against the Collectors but, he didn't really feel any better. How reliable could Cerberus be if a large portion was able to defect at whim and cause this much chaos? He still had the same dilemma that no one else listened to him. Maybe with Feron in the mix the Alliance could be given evidence that they couldn't refuse. Until then, he was like a rat trapped running around the same maze for eternity.

Zero started marching the way they came, "Well, it's been fun Shepard but, I never said I'd stay to be a part of your crusade. I'm going to go get my things and leave."

Kal gave him a look with his helmet and whispered, "I have to stop her, I'll see you back on the ship." He followed her and said loudly, "Jack wait, can we talk about this? Just let me explain!"

He was about to follow the two of them when Miranda said from the elevator, "Shepard, I could use your help making sure Oriana made it out of here."

Jack glanced to the others, "Follow Jacob back to the ship, we'll be back soon enough."

The others went without complaint, obviously wanting to take a break after the fighting allowing Jack to go with Miranda to the bottom of the tower. He had no idea how she was still standing with all of the cuts all over her body. Once the stims wore off, she was going to have to take a long rest in a medi gel bath. Jack wished he was able to read her expression wondering if she believed The Illusive Man but, her face was as stoic as ever. His explanation was probably enough for her, and if he had to guess, she was coming up with a a way to convince him.

Her tone was quiet when she finally said, "I'm sorry this wasn't as simple as I made it out to be. Niket was always a friend I could count on."

Jack waited for a second before answering, "It's not your fault Leng and Cora got into the middle of your business. You did everything you could for your family and I respect that."

Miranda stared at the ceiling, "But I let it get personal... and I potentially screwed up. If I hadn't trusted Niket and just did everything on my own... Hopefully he was telling the truth."

Jack smiled at her trying to make a joke, "Welcome to the world of being Human and trusting people. You should try it more often. Niket cared enough about you to sacrifice himself to save you, I think your sister's safe and sound."

Miranda sighed and had a blank expression on her face, "He just stood there, holding the sword. He knew what Leng was going to do."

Jack didn't know what to say, this was the most polite conversation they ever had, "Maybe he knew what he did was wrong and wanted to atone for it.. I don't know."

Miranda snapped at him as they were halfway down the tower's floors, "You atone by fixing your mistakes, not by committing suicide. It's not Niket's fault, not really. My father and Cora take the blame... for all of this." To his surprise, she just kept talking, "It's always been like this with him. My father gave me anything I ever wanted, but there was always a hook, an angle for his long-term plan. I threw away everything he ever gave me when I ran. Except Niket. Weakness on my part."

Jack raised an eyebrow and gave her a sideways glance, "It kind of sounds like you two are more similar then you want to admit."

Miranda gave him a harsh laugh, "As much as he tried to turn me me into exactly what he wanted... I'm my own person. He would've kidnapped Kal to make you do what he wanted. I only threatened harm."

Jack couldn't help but smirk in her direction, "There isn't really that big of a difference between those two things Miranda. I'm just glad I still have a team to fight the Collectors with."

The elevator door opened to the bottom of the Dantius Tower and Miranda lead them out towards the docking bay. He was honestly surprised law enforcement hadn't responded to all the fighting happening but, he assumed whoever was going to hold the auction didn't want police sniffing around the building looking for clues. Jack was disappointed they weren't able to stop the auction in the long run and save Sidera, he did everything he could have though. His hope was Nassana's omni tool would at least give Vetra something to go on sooner rather than later. Once they arrived at the docks, Jack was surprised no one seemed to question Miranda's bloody appearance. Were the Asari here just used to seeing that?

Miranda's eyes scanned the busy dock looking for any threats, "No sign of Eclipse or Cora. It looks like we're clear."

While it was true he didn't see anyone that screamed Eclipse or Cerberus, he wasn't seeing a thirteen year old girl either. Jack was going to be quite frustrated if this entire mission was a bust except for recruiting Thane. It was wasting valuable time they could've been spending looking for the Collectors. Not that he didn't want anyone experiencing abuse to suffer but, taking down the Reapers still had to be the priority. He couldn't go on constant missions with Miranda just looking for her sister.

He took a deep breath, "I'm going to comm Tali and see if she already left."

Miranda grabbed his arm to stop him, "Wait no. There she is. She's safe... with her family."

Jack picked up on them quickly being the only Quarian family on the entire docking port. A man and a woman were hugging a Quarian girl that didn't look quite right anatomically. She had five fingers and five toes making it obvious that she was a Human under the suit. He wondered what it would be like to have to wear the suit to protect the Quarians from your own germs. They looked extremely happy to see each other though, Oriana was clinging to both her 'parents' tightly and they were hugging her right back.

Tali emerged from around the family holding a large bag in one hand and a red and gray environmental suit over the other shoulder. To the family she said, "You three should take the shuttle now. I have a friend I need to catch up with so I'll take the next one."

When she walked towards them, Jack gave her a tight hug, "It's good to see you, what's with the bag?"

Tali hugged him as best she could while holding her bag, "Since my father's research is at a stand still, he gave me permission to leave the fleet for awhile. I thought I could help with the Collectors."

Miranda turned towards the exit, "Come on, we should go."

Tali tilted her head and let go of Jack with a curious tone, "You don't want to say hello to your sister? You might not get another chance."

Miranda looked back at the Quarian family one last time, "It's not about what I want. It's about what's right for her. We all know the less she knows about me, the better. She's got a family. A life. I'll just complicate that for her."

With that, the three of them started making their way back to the Normandy. Jack was going to need a long break after all that.


	35. Chapter 34: Opportunity Knocks

Saren entered the cargo hold for the privacy of it, the girl was even gone so he had time to think. He could remove the control chip now, Garrus' health had improved to the point that Cerberus witholding treatment wouldn't kill him. However, Saren was wondering if it was a good idea to do it on his own? Would Shepard no longer trust him if he made that kind of decision without asking first? He wouldn't of if their roles were reversed, the stakes with the Reapers was too high for that kind of unknown variable. On the other hand, staying under Harpers control was something he was terrified of, a snap of those Human fingers and he could be trying to kill Garrus again. The choice he had was threatening to eat him alive but, right now all he could do was wait for an opportunity that felt right.

Even though he was tossing around that decision over and over again, it was a lot easier to think about then the Hierarchy's silence to his warning about Shepard. He should've expected not receiving a response from them considering his last known action was attacking the Citadel but, he thought the potential scandal would be enough for a call at least. Maybe Shepard's father had been more foolish than he thought and kept his relationship with Hannah Shepard secret from the current Primarch. He already had a Turian son so maybe he felt complacent, that the kind of crisis Saren was picturing would never happen. Saren knew better, Harper hadn't released the information yet because it was a part of a scheme.

A voice cut his thoughts short, making him duck behind a crate, "I don't wanna fucking hear it, any of it. You treated me like a little girl that couldn't handle the fact that someone from Noveria was still alive. Or, maybe you just wanted to look like my daddy."

The Quarian's voice made Saren stay hidden, "No, no! Jack, I just wanted to keep you safe that's it. I knew if I told you Cora was alive, you'd go charging after her like you are right now. Listen to me, Cora isn't someone you can make any mistakes arou-"

She interrupted him sounding angry, "So it was the fact you wanted to play daddy for awhile, well guess what, I don't need that. I'm sixteen, what I needed was someone I could trust to tell me the god damned truth. I've been lied to for years, I...I trusted you."

Kal folded his arms over his chest, "Being sixteen doesn't change the fact that your playing right into her hands. Trust me, she thinks seven steps ahead and always has. Yes... I may have...wanted to take care of you and give you something I never had. That doesn't mean that right now I'm not just concerned you'll throw your life away."

Saren didn't know if he should laugh or be utterly disgusted, Kal clearly cared for the Human on some base level. How could anyone care about a Human when all they accomplished was destroying order or ignoring affection. It wasn't really a surprise though, this particular Quarian had already vowed himself to Shepard for all time. He could disagree with Kal's life choices but, he was right about Cora. She had seemingly inherited her father's passion for plotting the destruction of all alien life. The difference though was that she was much more impulsive and sloppy, he and the Quarian could see her plan coming from miles away. He decided not to come out and say any of that though, he didn't care what happened to the Human girl.

Jack huffed grabbing her things, "You just don't want me to go because your working for these people. Hell, you might be whispering what I say into your little fuck buddies ear at night so he can tell The Illusive Man. Would certainly make your lives easier huh?"

The AI's voice came through the intercom, "While the Captain's Quarters have been stripped of listening devices, I can confirm Shepard hasn't forwarded any inappropriate information about you to The Illusive Man. What you have discussed with Kal hasn't left this room."

She glared up at the ceiling, "Well the Cerbobot said it so it has to be true. At least I can just assume your only a liar now. Before I didn't know if I had to add traitor and asshole to the list. Now, I'm going to go out there, kill her, and then go after the Illusive Man for thinking he can do what he authorized to children and live."

Kal's voice had a nauseating twinge of desperation to it, "I know your angry with me, I know you want to take revenge for the life you lost, trust me I know. I also know that even if you did go after Cora, you wouldn't get your childhood back. You don't have to speak with me or Shepard ever again but, please stay away from her. If you feel like you have to go, find a place to just relax and have a life."

Jack threw a small bag over her shoulder, "You keep trying to pretend we're the same when we're not. You'll have a fucking good life with Shepard, you two will live for a hundred more years and die in each others arms or some sappy shit like that. You were able to move on after your supposedly terrible childhood. I have to always face the fact I'm a freak forever! No one is ever going to care about me, tuck me in bed, tell me all the bad dreams will go away because they'll protect me. Even my parents didn't want me and shipped me off to Cerberus."

Now Kal's voice sounded heartbroken, "I...I care about you. I know you don't think so but I do. I want to be the family you think you don't deserve. Jack, your not a freak, your just alone and want to lash out. You deserve everything you just asked for and more. Please stay here where it's safe from her."

He honestly was a little impressed how much emotion was coming through the Quarian's helmet. She was right, Kal didn't just care a little for the girl, he saw her as a daughter. Normally, that fact would just make Saren shrug with a bitter taste in his mouth but, he was coming to the realization that this Quarian was Commander Shepard's husband. If he helped keep the girl onboard the Normandy, Shepard might owe him a favor. This was the opportunity he needed to make a play for his chip to be removed.

Jack started to march towards the elevator, "All pretty words but I can't trust a fucking word of it. See you around asshole."

Saren stepped around the corner only to grab her ankle with biotics and drag her back along the ground, "And what is your plan exactly little girl?"

Kal grabbed his shotgun almost immediately, "Let her go Saren, it's her choice if she wants to leave here."

Saren let go of her leg with a lazy sigh, "As you wish I suppose. Still didn't get an answer though."

She got up to her feet and hurled a warp in his direction, "I don't need a lecture from you too old man. Just back the fu-"

He grabbed her warp in his hand and threw it back at her, creating a biotic bubble around her, "Dead."

Jack raised an eyebrow giving him a death glare, "What?"

Saren kept her trapped in the bubble with minimal effort, "You would be dead right now if that's how you plan on killing Harper. I served with The Illusive Man and Eva a long time ago. I know how they operate, meaning I know you'd be dead if that was your approach."

It technically wasn't a lie, he had served with both the senior Harpers. He was just going to leave out the fact that he had joined their mission just so he could get the chance to kill them. It was lucky they had been ultimately responsible for the 'mad Turian scientist' plot, otherwise he wouldn't have become a SPECTRE. That one mission changed the galaxy forever, he just wished Hannah had stayed out of it for a few more seconds. His past with them though would help to convince the girl she needed his help. Maybe she could even be a good distraction for when he planned on killing Harper.

Jack punched the bubble with her biotics but the hold didn't break, "Yeah, and you have a better idea? One that would actually work? Look where you are right now, not exactly a winner."

Kal was glancing in Saren's direction, "I think she gets the point Saren, release her or I swear to Keelah I'll pull this trigger."

He released her from the bubble but instantly threw multiple biotic crates at her, "You lack discipline and training. Something I can give you, if you stay on the Normandy until we're done."

Several of the crates harmlessly smacked her and she glared at both of them, "I don't need you to get me out of everything, just leave me the fuck alone Kal! Alright old man, let's dance for real."

_o0o_

Jack watched Miranda walk onto the ship with a little limp still feeling bad she didn't talk with her sister. The sacrifice she was making could turn a person bitter pretty quickly. At least everyone made it out of the Dantius Towers safely and now he could focus on worrying about the Collectors again. They were still helping Sovereign for some unknown purpose and there was nothing he could do to stop them at the moment. What was taking The Illusive Man so long to find a lead? He thought someone with Cerberus' resources would come up with a lead a lot sooner.

Tali was following him towards the elevator listening to him catch her up to relative speed, "Jack I trust you for sure but, I'm just worried about Cerberus. They're the biggest reason my people are so desperate right now. If we hadn't lost the Shellen... Anyways, mind taking me to the drive core? I bet the engineering staff has ruined the ship."

Jack tapped the elevator button and looked over at her, "Have the Admirals reached out to the Council for help? I'm sure they wouldn't want to be responsible for the genocide of your species."

Tali laughed and shook her head, "It isn't that easy Jack, the Council would put conditions on helping us. They'd never even let us attempt to take the homeworld back because they're afraid it'd spark a war we couldn't control. If we weren't so close to breaking the consensus maybe we'd talk. As it is, the Admirals think a little more suffering is worth the homeworld."

Garrus was holding a plate of food and tried to sneak up on her, "Your under arrest for...I don't know, carrying a suspicious bag on the ship."

Tali started to turn to look at him with a cheery tone, "CSEC, being racist as alwa... Garrus, what happened? Are you ok..?"

He gave her his best Turian smile despite the bandage on the side of his face, "Jack didn't tell you I like to take a bath with napalm in the morning? Tends to impress the Krogan women I meet when I visit Tuchanka."

Tali punched his good shoulder gently, "I'm being serious you bosh'tet, are you ok?"

Garrus raised a browplate with a playful tone, "If I said no would you do all my work for the next...thirty years?"

Jack tried not to laugh having missed the banter between these two, "Garrus took a missle to the face after he went against Aria T'Loak as Archangel on Omega. He's fine though."

Tali put her free hand on her hip and stared at Garrus, "Archangel, as in the Turian comicbook hero that stole the entire story from the Human comicbook from like, a thousand years ago?"

Garrus' mandibles twitched feeling embarrassed, "I didn't know you read comicbooks... It wasn't exactly my idea I guess I just reminded people of him so the name stuck..."

The door to the elevator opened and all the humor vanished from Jack's thoughts. Kal was sitting cross legged with his hands covering his face and he was crying, obviously not expecting anyone to stop the elevator before the cabin. He had seen him fighting with Zero before they separated so, Jack assumed that the argument hadn't gone well. He had a feeling that relationship was going to have multiple rough patches along the way. Kal just had to remember she had never been exposed to someone that cared about anything other than results, it would take time to get her to trust them. Jack got on one knee and gently grabbed his shoulder wanting his husband to know he was there for him right now.

Kal looked up to see Tali and stood up robotically straight with a defensive tone, "What are you doing here? If the Admiral's find out you talked to me-"

She interrupted him by offering him the replacement suit, "Kal, everyone on the fleet is a little preoccupied at the moment and my father gave me permission to come here. I'm going to help with the Collectors whether you like it or not. And it looks like you could use a couple friends right now."

Kal took it and the new, shiny, blue mask and glared at her, "This isn't an exile's suit Tali, you got this from the marines barracks didn't you?"

Tali had an innocent tone and gave him a shrug, "I may have borrowed something from storage but, your a marine, you deserve to wear it."

Kal sounded frustrated and tried to give it back to her, "I can't wear this, take it back to the fleet before someone notices you stole it."

Tali shook her head and had a teasing tone, "And get caught for stealing when I bring it back? No thank you, besides...you might like some of the personal modifications I made and sent to Jack's omni tool." She grabbed Garrus' arm, "Come on CSEC, let's let these two have the first ride up the elevator."

As the doors started to close, Jack gave her a smile, "Tali, I'm glad your back on the Normandy."

Once they were alone, Kal threw his arms around Jack with a sigh and squeezed him. Jack hugged him back, content not to say anything right now and just hold him comfortingly instead. He could feel the Quarian relax in his embrace before he heard Kal's old broken mask hit the floor of the elevator just before those marshmallowy lips brushed his neck. Jack hadn't expected it so he groaned lightly and let his hands go down to Kal's hips. The elevator door opened and they stumbled into his cabin together.

Kal kissed him lovingly on the lips before whispering, "I messed up with Zero...I lied to her about Cora to keep her safe but, I did the opposite. She thinks Saren of all people cares about her more than I do.."

Jack cupped his cheek forcing him to look into his eyes, "She'll realize what you did came from the best place possible." He pressed his index finger against Kal's heart to highlight what he meant, "You just have to give her a little space and she'll appreciate you for it."

Kal rubbed Jack's spine with a sigh, "I know, I'm just scared she's going to get hurt because I wasn't around to protect her. She thinks she knows everything and doesn't need help but, Cora would kill her Jack."

He kissed Kal reassuringly and dragged him towards their bed, "So what your saying is that she's your average teenager with some extra problems. Kal, we're going to keep her safe."

Kal let out a relieved sigh, "Have I ever told you I love you? You always know just what to say to get me relaxed."

Jack gave him a soft smile and let his thumb trace Kal's cheek, "Maybe you just worry too much and need someone who can center you?"

Kal's fruity tongue pushed at the edge of his lower lip effectively ending their conversation. Their tongues rubbed and swirled around each others slowly while Jack ran his hand through Kal's thick hair. Neither of them were in a giant hurry and just enjoyed kissing like this. Kal started rolling his shoulders to get his old suit off and kicked it along the floor to get rid of it leaving him utterly naked. They reluctantly broke their gentle kiss so Kal could pull Jack's chest piece over his head. Since Jack's hands were free, he groped Kal's doughy ass with soft squeezes. He could feel the warm, smooth, creamy skin sinking between his fingers making him moan.

His knees hit the bed first and Kal used his weight to push Jack on the bed with him on top. The Quarian's hands explored Jack's muscular chest seemingly without any rhyme or reason as his wet, warm tongue made lazy circles into his collar bone. Jack started panting sending hot breath rolling against Kal's ear while his hands went up to the other man's shoulders and then, back around to his front. Kal huffed with a sigh before he grabbed Jack's hardening length with both hands and started rubbing the tip on his hot belly. Jack groaned looking up at him and gave another sloppy kiss.

Jack broke the kiss a second later, "How'd you get my pants off without me..."

Kal had let go suddenly only to grab his waist and roll him over on the bed, "I don't think that's important cyar'ika."

Feeling Kal's hot, steamy breath against the back of his neck made a shiver run down his spine. He could feel Kal hovering above him by just a few centimeters and his hands were busy with his own length. Jack didn't have to wait long before he felt Kal's tip slip inside him and his breath caught in his throat like it was their first time all over again. He must've somehow gotten lube somewhere and was using it for the first time from the way he just slipped into him. Kal's shaft felt hotter than normal sending bolts of pleasure everywhere in his body. The primal groan that spilled out of Kal's lips made it clear he too enjoyed this new addition.

Jack felt three fingered hands reach forward to grab his own before thrusting forward. The slippery nature of the lube did half the work for Kal, allowing him to hilt inside Jack faster than normal making them both moan again. He buried his head into the pillow and Kal kissed his ear tenderly. Kal was also whispering sweet nothings at him but, since they were in Quarian he didn't understand any of it. It was the loving, deep, yet wild and babbling tone and nature of it that mattered to Jack anyways. He tensed feeling pre drool out from his own tip onto the bed and moaned when Kal gripped his sides.

The sound of their hips slapping together filled the room over and over again from Kal's thrusts. He was rolling his hips faster than normal sending his entire length in without hesitation because of the lube. Jack's muscles almost weren't able to keep up with this animal like speed, he realized he was going to be hurting tomorrow at this rate. However, he wasn't really caring at the moment because of the tsunamis of pleasure pulsing through him with each powerful thrust hammering him down. Kal seemed to have a lot more energy with each thrust getting harder and faster by the second. He was going to have to personally thank the manufacturer of the lube someday.

It felt like they went on for hours with Jack orgasming several times from the heat and pressure. Finally though, Kal roared with a moan and released into him like he was putting out a fire. They merely rested for a few moments with Kal on top of him, panting as if they had just run a marathon. His muscles felt like limp jello and since Kal wasn't making a move to get off of him, he too was weak as butter. He was sweating slightly and felt like he could drift off to a deep sleep at any moment.

Kal nipped his cheek, "Happy one day before our anniversary."

Jack turned his head and blinked looking at him, "Wait...what...?"

Kal giggled sweetly nuzzling him, "According to Mordin, it's technically are second anniversary tomorrow. He umm gave me lube mixed with a little halex as a gift."

Jack gave him a panicked expression, "Shit, I didn't get you anything. I'll have to go shopping tomorrow... Sorry I forgot."

Kal smirked playfully dragging himself to Jack's side, "Yes because in the middle of saving the galaxy I expect you to get me something expensive. No, just...if The Illusive Man doesn't need us yet, there's someone I'd like you to meet..."


	36. Chapter 35: The Fan

Jack woke up feeling somewhat cold from the lack of a naked Quarian cuddled around him like he expected. He must've been in a deep drug induced sleep if he didn't feel Kal moving away from him earlier. Once again Jack reminded himself to thank Mordin the next time he saw the nosey Salarian. It certainly wasn't typical for a doctor to not only remember a patients anniversary but, also give them mildly illegal drugs to celebrate the occasion. They'd probably never use it again, or if they did only on special occasions. Jack's walking abilities wouldn't be able to handle that on a everyday basis.

His eyes opened up to Kal painting the palladium armor black at the foot of the bed. He was wearing his new replacement suit and Jack had to admit it looked great on him. While it was essentially the same red, gray, and blue colors he had always worn, this suit was a lot tighter. The suit was held to Kal's body through a complicated system of suit seals instead of just a simple zipper that exile suits received. Jack was going to have to relearn how to unhook them all for private activities but, he didn't mind it at all. Kal was going to be just a little safer from germs with that suit on.

He sat up with a groan, "Usually I'm the one to wake up first, what's got you up and painting at..." Jack looked at his omni tool, "Shit, is it really 10:30 right now?"

Kal had a loving chuckle at the question, "Mordin explained that halex sometimes makes people sleep longer because of...I don't remember, he was talking too fast. But uhh everyone that was eating in the mess hall heard him."

Jack sighed throwing his head back against the pillow, "Great...now everyone is going to think we're drug addicts on top of everything else."

Kal kept his amused tone, "Oh no, Mordin was more than happy enough to explain the concept of anniversaries to Zero." He attempted to impersonate Mordin, "When two beings love each other very much, sometimes they hug and have special cuddles. Cuddles can get boring after awhile so on an anniversary it's good to spice things up."

Jack raised an eyebrow looking concerned, "Please tell me that went over her head? And he doesn't know us very well does he?"

Kal stopped painting, stood up, and kissed him, "Nope, but to be fair I don't think Salarian's understand real love. As for Zero, she's sixteen Jack, sex was the first thing she thought of. It didn't damage our relationship any worse than it already is if you were wondering."

He still felt terrible that Zero had shunned Kal away for trying to protect her but, weren't all teenagers nasty at around that age? Hell, when he was sixteen, Jack had enlisted into the Alliance just to spite his mother. She hadn't been willing to tell him who his father was and so, Jack had ran away from home and joined the army, then the N7s. If his future self would've told him he was going to have to go through hell in the Alliance, he probably would've done it all anyways. Being with his soulmate was worth the first decade or so of blood, sweat, and tears.

Jack tilted his head curiously, "Did she talk to you this morning?"

Kal sounded disappointed and looked down at his feet, "Just a fuck you when I asked how she was doing. All I can say is, I'm happy Saren's teaching her how to control her biotics. I'll keep bugging her, we aren't going to abandon her like everyone else has."

Jack's stomach rumbled and he stood up, "If you want me to talk to her just let me know. Now, I better get cleaned up and have some food before your taking me to meet someone."

Kal had a nervous tone when he pulled away gently, "Shel invited us to lunch so I was hoping you'd wait so we could have something at the place?"

Jack kissed the top of his new helmet before rushing to the bathroom for a quick shower, "Of course I can wait cyar'ika. You still haven't told me who we're meeting though."

Kal rubbed the back of his neck while standing by the bathroom door, "I guess I never did tell you about her did I? Shelrrik's an Elcor I met during my pilgrimage on Dekuuna. She took care of me for four years and I consider her the closest thing I'll ever have to a Mom."

Jack smirked in his direction, "By your tone I get the feeling she's not my biggest fan."

Kal was watching him shower but snapped back to the conversation, "She thinks you exposed me to dangerous germs when you kissed me next to the Sovereign debris. I tried to explain what happened but, we got sidetracked."

Jack grabbed some casual clothes and dried off, "Stop worrying Kal, I'm sure once we meet she'll understand I care about you staying away from deadly germs just as much as she does. Where are we going?"

The gloved, three fingered, muscular hand grabbed his and soon they were walking back on Illium's streets together. Jack was worried that The Illusive Man still hadn't reached out to him yet about the Collectors but, he tried not to show it to Kal. If The Illusive Man really did have this supposed lead, what could possibly take him this long to confirm it and send him out there? His fear was that he was much more preoccupied with the coup by his daughter instead of the Collectors. If that was the case, Cerberus wasn't his best bet to take down the Collectors after all. He was better off working alone at this rate.

When they were clearly approaching the restaurant they were obviously supposed to meet at, Jack couldn't help but smile. The building itself was shaped like that of a Hanar's head and the place was called, "Raxium's Famous Aquarium and Food Stop." Admittedly, he had no idea who this Raxium was but, going into an aquarium made him feel like a kid again. Places like this were how he and his own mother bonded after months of being on deployment. He glanced in Kal's direction suspiciously wondering if the Quarian had intentionally picked this place to meet Shelrrik as part of their anniversary. His suspicions were only raised when Kal ignored his gaze and started whistling a tune.

The monotone voice of an Elcor greeted them, "Excitedly, Kal I am over here."

Jack turned and saw the Elcor that had to be Shelrrik. If Kal hadn't told him she was female, he wouldn't have been able to tell on his own. Not that he was a racist in any way but, Elcor in general looked remarkably similar except for the designed cloths draped over their large backs. Shelrrik's in particular had pink swirls towards the center expanding out to all the colors of the rainbow bordered with a dark red color. She was also accompanied by several drones which were busy preparing the table as well as flipping pages of the menu for her. He was curious how Elcor survived before drones since they didn't have hands they could use.

Kal let go of his hand and motioned between them, "Shel, this is Jack'Shepard vas Normandy. Jack, this is Shelrrik vas Illium."

Jack smiled and gave her a nod, "It's nice to meet you ma'am, Kal's told me a lot about you."

Shelrrik's black eyes rolled and she moved around the table to rub her neck along his cheek, "With love and slight impatience, there is no need to be so formal boys, this is not a job interview. I just wanted to meet the man that took my boys heart."

Jack patted her neck hoping that was the appropriate response, "If we're honest, he stole mine first and I've just been along for the ride ever since."

Shelrrik moved back to her spot slowly, "Filled with joy, that is a good answer. Curiously, how did you two meet? Last I knew Kal had returned to the fleet with his horrible father."

Jack idly looked at the menu but smiled, "I think you should start that one. I only know the actual meeting part of the story."

Kal squirmed in his seat looking adorable when he was embarrassed, "I'm sure you read about the Skillyian Blitz right?" When she nodded he continued, "Well, dad thought it was a good opportunity for the fleet to get closer relations with the Alliance and at the same time give me some more field experience. I was assigned as the explosives expert for a team of a multi species squad."

Jack jumped in, "I got to command that squad, so on the first day I had to introduce myself to everyone on the team. Now, I want you to imagine a tense military ship, lots of long faces. Well, Kal was the last person I needed to meet.. When me and my superior opened the door, Kal was singing, dancing, and listening to music with earbuds in."

Shelrrik's mouth folds expanded in what he could assume was a smile, "Amused, it serves him right that his plan to use his son backfired in his face so spectacularly."

The waiter arrived and Jack noticed he was staring, "Commander? The Commander Shepard?! I don't know if you remember me, my names Conrad Verner we met on the Citadel two years ago. It is such an honor to see a hero like you again Commander!"

Unfortunately, Jack remembered Conrad all too well. After discovering Garrus was Saren's adopted younger brother, he had panicked thinking the Turian was going to try and kill Chloe Michel as a loose end. Conrad had been an all too willing cab driver and took him to her medical clinic by ramming his cab into the front door. Jack had tried to convince Conrad to just pull over next to the building so he could get out but, the man had none of it. Conrad had said something along the lines of a hero can never pull over. He was glad the man was still walking after Garrus had shot his leg because of their misunderstanding. Kal and Shelrrik were staring at Conrad as if he was an unknown alien being and this was a first encounter.

Jack coughed looking extremely uncomfortable, "Of course I remember you Conrad...how are you?"

Noticing how tense Jack became, Conrad whispered, "I get it, your undercover." He winked before saying aloud, "He's just an old friend of mine and our joke is that he is Commander Shepard. I mean look how close in appearance they seem!" To his horror, Conrad pulled up an image immediately on his omni tool with the words 'my hero,' underneath in fancy pink writing, "See the jawline and eyebrows? It's uncanny!"

Shelrrik was the first to speak, "Disbelieving, I didn't know Humans could be this stupid. If he was actually undercover you could've killed him. Uncontrollable rage, I would like to have a word with your manager as soon as possible."

Kal quickly extended a hand to stop her from trying to run Conrad over, "I think she's just trying to say we'll have two FizzyWhirls and a water please."

Shelrrik whipped her head around towards him, "With frustration and contempt, do not put words in my mouth Kal. Angry repetition, bring your manager here right now or I will get up and find them."

Conrad huffed taking their menus, "Raxium isn't in the building right now so I'm the manager. I'll have your drinks in a few minutes." He looked at Jack, "You know, you could really use nicer friends Commander."

Shelrrik's drone lit up with the taser function, "Furiously, now you listen here, if you don't find the manager I will make sure you never work again."

Conrad just kept walking away and Kal rubbed her hide, "He's not worth it Shel. Let's just try and enjoy lunch for me... please? Who is he anyways?"

Jack rubbed his forehead, "Remember the cab driver I told you about when I was saving Tali? That was him.. And Shelrrik, I appreciate the concern but Kal's right, we don't need to make a big scene out of him."

Shelrrik looked to each of them and then her plate, "Ashamed, you are both correct. I just don't want him to potentially get someone killed with that kind of stupidity. Apologetically, I'm sorry I made the situation worse Jack."

Jack waved it off and the three of them mostly had a good lunch unless Conrad appeared. Conrad just kept making things worse like questioning if Shelrrik should have this or that because of her weight. It was a miracle they had convinced her not to use the drone to zap him yet. Even with all that going on, he could tell Kal was nervous about something. He was sure it wasn't Shelrrik because the two of them were getting along really well, so what was it? Maybe he had the same concerns about the Collectors in general but, it was odd he was shifting around like that right now.

Shelrrik ate a bite of her salad provided by her drone, "And that is how I met my son, luck and Quarian birthday cake. What about you Jack, where are your parents?"

Jack licked his lips trying not to get emotional, "My mother died during the Blitz saving people. I don't know who my dad is, she never told me before she died."

One of her drones wiped a tear forming in his eye, "With regret and deep sympathy, I am sorry I asked at all."

Liara's voice surprised him and he looked at Kal suspiciously again, "Sorry I'm late, Aria is a talker."

She gave Kal a small package, "Thanks Liara, I hope she didn't want too much from you in return?"

Liara gave him a slight smile, "It was nothing I couldn't handle as a favor for a friend." She looked at Jack, "I can't stay but, I wanted to wish you both a happy anniversary." 

Jack raised an eyebrow at Kal, "What was that about exactly?"

Shelrrik spoke bouncing from foot to foot, "With eager anticipation, I am so excited, you will see in a moment."

Kal was fiddling with the package and slowly opening it out of his view, "So, I have a confession to make, I lied about forgetting our anniversary.. Umm when you died I got all of the things you owned in your apartment. Unfortunately, most of it was destroyed on Omega but, Aria maybe found a few things in the wreckage of the base. I called Liara while you were on the Citadel and...well..."

Jack felt all the air get punched out of his lungs seeing Kal was holding his mother's dog tags. He thought for sure that they would've been lost to time supposedly being dead. Yet there they were being placed in his hands like a delicate piece of china. Just when he was about to kiss him and tell him he loved him, Kal pulled out a picture of him and his Mom together. He couldn't have been more than eight in the picture and his mom had her firey red hair he remembered. The background was that of an aquarium, specifically the one on the Turian homeworld of Palaven. A random Turian had taken it and ruffled his hair afterward. At the time he thought it was a little odd since all the other Turians ignored them or were rude.

He practically yanked Kal across the table and kissed his mouthpiece, "You are a bastard, you should've reminded me so I could get you something."

Kal squirmed a hand around underneath him to get another item, "I know, but then I wouldn't have been able to enjoy your face when I surprised you. You can pay me back next year....and by saying yes."

Jack's heart lept into his throat seeing Kal was holding a ring between two fingers. It was old, having to be from his mother's jewelry box. He had never looked in it out of shame for the reason he received it in the first place. Looking at it closer, Jack could see it was engraved but, not in basic. Had dad given her this at some point? On the surface it may have seemed odd that Kal was purposing again since they were already married under Quarian law but, it was clear Kal still thought his one night stand with Erash broke that vow. He was sure Kal would've wanted to redo it the Quarian way but, Quarian Admirals weren't lining up to help so, this was the next best thing.

Shelrrik was trying to whisper, "With baited breath, please say yes, please say yes, please say yes."

Kal was babbling now clearly nervous, "I know you probably think I'm being dumb or silly or I don't know.. I just feel like our old vows are gone and we might die any day now and I don't want to be afraid we won't be together in our next lives. You don't have to, I know we don't have the time right now to actually have a Human wedding and the ring doesn't have a diamond and I have no idea what either of them say and-"

Jack had to interrupt him or he was going to keep babbling so he kissed him hard right on his mouthpiece again, "What did you think I was going to say? Yes you bosh'tet."

Shelrrik's voice boomed around the restaurant, "Overwhelming joy, that is my boy getting married. I cannot believe this is happening."

The kiss lasted a few inappropriate seconds until his omni tool went off, "Shepard this is EDI, The Illusive Man is requesting you in the conference room as soon as possible."

Jack pulled away gently and put on the ring, "Copy that EDI, we're on our way." He gave Shelrrik an apologetic look, "I'd love to stay for dessert but, I gotta get going."

Shelrrik nodded slowly, "Disappointed understanding, the galaxy cannot be saved by itself. I will cover lunch on one condition, you will give yourselves time for an actual wedding in the future and I can attend."

Kal gave her a hug and his eyes were glowing extremely bright, "I promise I'll let you know but, it might be a few months. I love you mom."

The two of them started heading back towards the Normandy and Jack could definitely get used to the feeling of a ring rubbing against his palm from Kal's hand, "I can't believe you were so nervous about asking me that for a second time. I already told you yes last time."

Kal seemed to be walking with extra cheer in his step, "I know but, like I said I thought you'd think it was silly and we're already married. If Aria hadn't described the rings I wouldn't have done it. Good luck with the boss."

They reluctantly separated in the Normandy as Jack headed towards the conference room. If anyone had noticed the two of them were wearing old rings on their fingers, no one said anything about it. It wasn't a secret the two were together at the hip but, the majority of the support staff wanted to treat it that way. He was sure the Cerberus crew were more repulsed by the fact he was with an alien than a man. At least all of them were professional enough to keep their distaste to themselves. The conference room had already transformed to the now familiar office. He was once again spooked by the fact that The Illusive Man always was wearing the same business suit and smoking.

He was greeted by a virtual cloud of smoke, "Shepard, we caught a break. I intercepted a distress call from a Turian fighter patrol. They stumbled on to a Collector ship beyond the Korlus System's Mass Relay."

Jack gave him a skeptical expression, "It's hard to imagine how a Turian fighter patrol could take out a Collector ship."

The Illusive Man took a gulp from his shot glass, "Subject Zero's attack on the ship must've damaged it more than we originally speculated. Make no mistake, information is my weapon, Shepard. The intel is good. Now, I need you to board that ship and get some hard data on the Collectors. Find us a way to get to their homeworld."

Jack was nervously tapping his foot, "Are we sure after the combination of Jack's attack and the Turians that the ship is even intact enough to board?" 

He nodded after inhaling more smoke, "Reports I've gathered from the Turians indicate the hull's intact, but all systems seem to be offline."

Jack plugged the destination in from his omni tool, "Looks like it will take us three hours to get there. Will Turian reinforcements be a problem?"

The Illusive Man swirled the empty glass in his hand, "Eventually, but I did intercept the distress call. We're feeding them a few false reports. Your close enough that you can be in and out before the Turians learn the truth. Once your aboard the ship, establish an uplink with EDI. She'll mine their databanks for information regarding the Omega-4 Relay. Good luck, Shepard."

Jack felt tense as the room returned to normal. They finally were going to go on the offensive.


	37. Chapter 36: Tale of the Two Drell

Jack walked out of the conference room and headed towards the elevator. It was going to be a tense three hours as they made their way towards the Collector ship. Everyone had seen what it was capable of on Horizon so, the idea of actually boarding the thing for data seemed like suicide. However, if the reports that The Illusive Man was getting were accurate, there was a hull breach in the ship. On any other ship that would've spelled death for everyone inside, he just wasn't sure if that same logic could be applied to the Collectors. He wouldn't be surprised if some Reaper technology provided by Sovereign gave them the ability to stay alive in deep space.

EDI's voice chimed next to the elevator before he even got in it, "Shepard, before you return to your cabin, Thane Krios would like to have a word. Operative Taylor has placed him and Feron Krios in neighboring rooms near the life support systems."

He felt bad he hadn't communicated with the Drell up until this point or tell him what he was signing up for. Thane definitely should've been briefed on the fact they were planning on going after the Collectors beyond the Omega-4 Relay at some point. Jack had just wanted the two of them to catch up and he had been wrapped up with Kal and the anniversary. The bigger question he had was why Feron had pointed a gun at him during their reunion at the Dantius Towers, and why was he going after Cora Harper? Sure, the Alliance would want her to help catch her father but, this seemed more focused than just that. Feron seemed almost obsessed with discovering what ship Cora was flying right now but, why?

Jack looked at the blue orb representing EDI, "I've never been near life support so I could use some directions. Otherwise, tell Thane I'm on my way."

EDI's orb started moving along it's track on the wall, "Affirmative Commander, if you would follow me, I can guide you there efficiently."

After a few minutes of walking past the medbay and Miranda's empty office, Jack knew they were getting closer from the dry heat. On most Alliance ships, going to the life support section was a punishment because of the heat from the drive core radiating over in that direction. The Normandy was even worse for this because of the stealth drive they had installed. He had to wonder why the Drell decided this part of the ship by choice, maybe Jacob sent them here on purpose? It was possible but, Jack remembered Karosn, his Drell squadmate from the Blitz, also stayed near the life support of the Everest so, it had to be a Drell thing.

Jack knocked on the closed door EDI had led him to with a cough, "Thane? It's Shepard, EDI told me that you wanted to talk. Is now a good time?"

The door opened revealing Thane who was wearing a black coat on top of casual clothes, "Shepard, please come in. I was only trying to decide where I should place my spare weaponry."

Despite the disclaimer that the room was going to be messy, Jack found it was incredibly clean. Yes, Thane had lots of spare sniper rifles and other weapons but, the assassin had them neatly stacked in the corners of the room. Jack felt like he could be less concerned about Thane getting up and taking an escape pod upon realizing what they were up to. An assassin would never get this comfortable with their environment if they weren't confident they would be staying here for awhile.

Thane put his hands behind his back and stood up straighter, "Jacob informed me what you were doing here and I'd like to formally offer you my services in taking on the Collectors."

Jack blinked not expecting that was what he had to say, "Well Thane, truthfully I was at the Dantius Towers to recruit you. Welcome aboard."

Thane smiled and moved to sit down at a table, "You may want to lower your enthusiasm Shepard, I'm dying."

He was once again thrown for a loop with surprise, "Are you sick? I have a doctor in the medbay that could help you."

Thane held up a hand to stop him, "I'm already on treatment Shepard but, thank you. It's called Kepral's Syndrome. It's not communicable, but I have less than a year to live. My people are native to an arid world. Most of us now live on Rakhana, the Hanar homeworld. It's very humid, and rains every day."

Jack felt sorry for him but wanted to know more, "Do you mind telling me what Kepral's does? I've just never heard of it before."

Thane gave him a said smile, "Not at all, our lungs can't deal with the moisture. Over time, the tissue loses its ability to absorb oxygen. It becomes harder to breathe, eventually, we suffocate."

Jack tried not to show any discomfort but that sounded like an awful way to die, "I'm sorry to hear that Thane. Is there any research going to a cure on the Citadel?"

Thane tilted his head slightly in confirmation, "The Hanar have funded a genetic engineering program. They should be able to adapt us. Unfortunately, the project has only been running for a few years. I don't believe my body will still draw breath by the time it bears fruit."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Why do the Drell stay on Rakhana if it's killing your people? Couldn't the Hanar find you another world to settle on?"

Thane responded as if the answer was obvious, "Drell have a close relationship with the Hanar. We rely on each other for everything since the Compact. The best we can do is keep our homes very dry inside. I should be well enough to fight for another eight to twelve months. The more time I spend in humid environments, the faster it progresses."

Jack thought of something for his sake, "We just so happen to have a brilliant Salarian scientist on the ship, maybe he could find a cure faster than the program."

Thane shook his head quickly staring at him, "Thank you Shepard, but I cannot accept that kind of care. I have taken the lives of too many beings and must atone for my actions."

Jack felt very confused, "Your an assassin, isn't that what you do?"

Thane tried to help him understand with a serious expression, "The people who killed my wife are the only lives I've ever taken of my own choice. The only deaths on my own conscience."

It was hard for Jack to understand why you would deny treatment trying to help you. If he was the one in Thane's shoes, he'd want to take every opportunity at finding a cure. Not just for himself, but also the chance at helping the rest of his species that were effected by the illness. Thane seemed to be a much more religious man than he was and it was directing his actions. Jack certainly wasn't going to make him see Mordin, the Salarian needed to focus on the Collectors, but he still offered. He didn't want that kind of death on anyone, let alone someone offering to help him freely.

Thane spoke again knowing Jack didn't get it, "For you and me, death is business. For people like them, it is sport. Even still, I had no right to take them to the sea before they're time. I did as my body willed, and I must face the consequences."

Jack nodded and had a delicate tone, "I understand...have you told Feron? He never mentioned you so I just assumed you didn't have a good relationship."

Thane looked at the table with a frown, "I haven't had the opportunity since he has let his work consume him... And it was nothing that dramatic. No sneaking out in the middle of the night. No final argument or slammed door. I just... did my job. I hunted and killed across the galaxy. 'Away on business,' my wife would tell people. I was always away on business."

Jack sat across from him intent on listening to his story, "How old was he when his mother died? I was thirty and it was still really hard."

Thane answered sounding a little distracted, "Ten years. I remember before my last trip he showed me some of his schoolwork and asked if we could dance crazy. We did that when he was younger." His eyes glazed over entering a memory, "I check my extranet contacts. I expect an update on my next target. The console plays music. Old. Unfashionable. Kolyat jumps into the room. 'Hi, father!' He runs around in circles. I scoop him up. Toss him into the air. He shrieks, laughs. 'Spin me!' The console beeps. I put him down. Click the message. 'Father,' he pleads. Tugs my sleeve. 'I need to read this,' I say. I don't look at him."

Jack gave him a sympathetic glance, "You had no idea your wife was going to die while you were gone."

Thane refused to look at him, "You are right but I still made mistakes. When my wife departed from her body, I... attended to that issue. I faked my own death and left Kolyat in the care of his aunts and uncles. I have not really talked to him since. I didn't want that life for Kolyat. I hoped he would find his own way. If he hated me, so be it. He would not have shared the path of sin. By pushing him away, I helped him become my worst nightmare."

Jack took his hand for a moment, "Kolyat is still that same boy you think you've lost. He risked his life and maybe his mission to save my husband. I owe him everything."

Thane gave him a smile, "That is good to hear Shepard. Irikah helped me carry my burdens. With what time I have left, I must help him with his. I haven't spoken about my wife in- I don't think I ever have. I didn't have anyone left to tell it to. Thank you for your time, I'm sure you have other things to attend to."

Jack bowed his head and stood up, "If you ever want to talk about her again when we have more time, I'd be happy to."

He debated on going back to see Kal for the last two hours they had before reaching the Collector ship but, he needed to talk to Feron. If the Drell knew something about the Collectors that he didn't, they had to compare notes. From what Feron had implied talking to Nassana and Thane, knowing what ship Cora was flying could save people from Collector attacks. Jack didn't understand how those two things could be connected, it wasn't as though Cora looked like a Reaper or was indoctrinated. Why else would a Human somehow help a Reaper? Especially a Human that fought to make Humanity the most important species in the galaxy?

Feron apparently had the same idea and was already waiting for him outside his door, "Shepard, do you mind if we have a talk in my room as well?"

Jack shook his head with a polite smile and walked towards the room, "Of course not, what's on your mind Feron?"

The door closed behind them and Jack spotted a major difference between the two men immediately. While Thane had his things organized in the corners of the room, Feron had scattered omni projectors in the middle of the room. At first glance, the images seemed to be haphazard, connected together without any rhyme or reason. When he gave it a closer look though, Jack realized it was images of Human colonies that the Collectors had attacked so far; Freedom's Progress, Horizon, Ferris Fields, Zhu's Hope, and many more he didn't recognize. They were all connected together with an image of Cora with the words, "Red Rose?" underneath her.

Feron turned to face him and stared right into his eyes, "Before I say anything else I need you to look me in the eye and tell me you have nothing to do with the Collector kidnappings."

Jack felt like he was hit with a glass of cold water, "I...I'm sorry? Feron, that's absolutely ridiculous. I'm only with Cerberus right now because I want to take down the Collectors. I don't think we should be having this conversation here anyways. Miranda installed listening devices on the ship."

Feron's eyes had glazed over like he was in a memory, "Pupils remain normal, only slight defensive attitude, no increased heart beat. That's how you'll be able to tell if someone is lying to you recruit! They have to pass those three things." He blinked a few times, "Apologies Shepard, I had to know if you were a part of what's happening. As for the devices, I have enough clearance to have them disabled whenever I wish."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "And what's happening exactly Feron?"

Feron motioned to the connected images, "My work for the past two years while you've been sleeping. I.. I think Cerberus are working with the Collectors, and have been from the very beginning."

Jack gave him a stunned look and just stared at him, "That's a bold claim Feron. Why would The Illusive Man give me this ship, and unlimited resources to stop them if they're working together?"

Feron started to pace around the room with his arms crossed, "I admit that is the one piece of the puzzle that I don't understand but, I need you to listen to me. The attacks on every colony have started the exact same way for the past two years, a ship known as the Red Rose will dock at the Mass Relay and then communications are mysteriously cut. Every time without exception. I know the Red Rose is Cora's ship."

Jack frowned staring at him, "But that makes no sense, Cora wants to support Humanity. Why would she help the Collectors kidnap Humans for the Reapers?"

Feron pointed to a colony, "Freedom's Progress: the governor allowed a Quarian pilgrim stay there. Horizon: produced weapons for the Turian military and was multi species. Ferris Fields: a farming community giving dextro crops to the Migrant Fleet because of their contributions in the Blitz. Zhu's Hope? A Hanar preserve and Prothean dig site. Can you see the pattern Shepard?"

Jack thought he was going to be sick, "All the colonies give something to alien communities."

Feron gave him a grim look, "Exactly, Cerberus is using the Collectors as a way to purge what they see as traitors to the cause.. Humanity being the strongest super power in the galaxy."

Jack's entire world was crashing down around him like an anvil. No wonder The Illusive Man would take days and weeks to give him new leads, he didn't want him to stop them. How insane was The Illusive Man if he thought Sovereign would let Humanity live after a Reaper invasion. He had to be indoctrinated just like Saren at the height of his power. What confused him was the fact that The Illusive Man was much more coherent than Saren. Whether the Reapers had direct control over Cerberus, they had to be stopped, and now.

He turned to leave the room, "I need to request to see The Illusive Man in person and kill him right now. He had to of known all of this."

Feron grabbed his wrist tightly, "No. Just like your old friend, your not seeing the bigger picture."

Jack couldn't help but snap, "Bigger picture?! The only picture I see is the one of the Reapers returning with Cerberus' help. That's it Feron."

The Drell sighed impatiently, "Let's say you would get an audience with The Illusive Man and kill him? What happens next? I'll tell you, the Alliance thinks the threat is over and the Collectors keep working for Sovereign. If you really want to save the galaxy, you will help me get onboard that Collector ship and get me data. Data about the Reapers, data the Council can't ignore so we can actually stop this."

Jack shook his head, "No way, this is obviously a trap to get rid of us."

Feron still gripped his arm, "Maybe, but if we don't find any evidence, there's some on you. Arnold wants to kill you because he thinks your involved. I'm here because I want the truth. We can't turn around anyways now. Trust me."


	38. Chapter 37: Spring The Trap

Jack entered the Captain's Quarters to find Kal had completely painted his palladium armor to his old Onyx armor's black. Normally, he would've been thrilled to be rid of the Cerberus markings, right now though he was in a panic. The Illusive Man was too smart to not notice his daughters personal ship had been sighted before each Collector attack and since he hadn't brought it up, he supported it. That fact alone suggested direct communication between Cerberus and the Collectors which made it a certainty that this 'lead' was a trap. As soon as Feron got the data he needed, they were going to have to steal the Normandy from Cerberus and locate the nearest Alliance base. If Miranda and Jacob stopped them, they were just going to have to get in an escape pod and run.

Kal stopped his drawing and tilted his head to look at him, "Jack, your scaring me with that face. What's wrong?"

He bit his lower lip trying not to visibly show his panic, "I need you to comm Tali right now and sign to her to pack her things. She needs to warn Garrus too that we have a problem."

Kal stood up quickly and grabbed his new omni tool, "Slow down and tell me what's happening Jack."

Jack gave him a worried glance, "Feron just showed me evidence that the Collectors and Cerberus have been working together from the very beginning."

Kal jolted and pulled his personal pistol out from under his pillow, "We need to get out of here right now then. I'll warn Tali and go get Zero."

Jack moved in front of the elevator door to stop him, "That's what I thought too until Feron told me what he is thinking. If there's any chance we can get on that Collector ship and get evidence on the Reapers, we need to take it."

Kal shook his head with an angry tone, "Damnit Jack! If they're working together this is a trap designed to kill us! The Reaper threat won't be resolved if we're all dead!"

The anger coming from his husband was totally understandable, he was feeling it too. It was the realization that they were in a no win situation, no matter what they did. Either they tried to take the ship now while they were in FTL and jump out during the firefight to an active Collector ship, or, they played along and get killed by the trap. The fact that Saren still had the Cerberus control chip virtually guaranteed the first option was a death sentence. Saren no longer had Reaper indoctrination, making him far stronger in combat. Jack felt like he had no way out and no opportunities to make one. He wasn't happy about any of this but, the safest option was to keep playing along just a little longer.

His hand cupped Kal's cheek sympathetically for a few seconds, "I know your scared, I am too. But, let's say we do it your way and start with our guns blazing now. Even if we win, everything goes back to normal except now the Collectors are active too. The Council still won't listen to me, hell, they'll probably throw me in jail. Then Sovereign will get exactly what he wants and the galaxy won't be prepared."

Kal sighed obviously wanting to argue but, couldn't come up with a better answer, "And then we're all fucked anyways. So, we help Feron get the data he needs and then we make our move..."

Jack gave him a firm nod, "Right. Do you trust me to do this with me? Warn everyone on our side but, don't start shooting until we get back, ok?"

Kal kissed him deeply on the lips, "Of course I trust you, I just don't like the fact you have to be logically right all the time. I'll tell everyone we can trust to be ready as best I can, wish me luck."

Jack squeezed him in a tight hug as long as he thought he could before wasting valuable time, "Good luck, we're gonna get out of this I promise."

When Kal left, Jack couldn't help but run through all the times that The Illusive Man had seemingly lied to him. From the start he had tried to convince Jack that all his friends were missing or otherwise unavailable. Surely, he had to of known Garrus and Kal were working together as Archangel on Omega. It wasn't everyday that a Quarian and Turian worked together and they had disappeared at the same time. Then there was the Purgatory mission that Kai Leng just happened to be in by chance. Then there was Cora having supposedly gone rogue only to appear exactly where she needed to be to cause the biggest amount of damage at the Dantius Towers. Why hadn't Jack been able to see it from the beginning? The drive core slowed to a stop just as Jack put on his last piece of armor.

A moment later, Joker called his omni tool, "We have a visual on the Collector ship, Commander. It's bigger up close then I thought. You better get down here."

Jack was already moving towards the elevator, "On my way Joker, let me know if anything changes before I get there."

He was expecting at any moment the Collector ship would power on and immediately open fire on them but, everything was silent. Why wouldn't the Collectors just blow them out of the sky if this really was a trap? If this was Sovereign, they would've been shot at the second they exited FTL. However, it was possible that the Collectors knew about the Normandy's upgrades through The Illusive Man and wanted a guaranteed kill. Jack entered the cockpit only to see the rocky mass of the Collector ship filling the entire view screen. It's sheer size was similar to that of the Mass Relay it was floating next to. The ship could probably take on the whole Alliance fleet by itself and come out on top. How many Collector troopers could be inside that thing?

Feron had his arms crossed over his chest eyeing the ship as though it was a suspect he was about to question, "Joker, how are we looking?"

Joker tilted his head back towards him with a smile, "If you must know, the Normandy is picking up very low radiation emissions. Passive infrared temperatures suggest most systems are probably offline. The thrusters are cold at least."

EDI added, "To further elaborate on Mr. Moreau's assessment, ladar scans detect multiple hull breaches on the side facing us. I detect no Mass Effect field distortions, it appears the drive core is offline. My immediate conclusion is that the crew of the Collector dreadnought have all been killed. Unless there are traps inside, you should be completely safe to get to the bridge of the ship."

Tali's voice had a sarcastic edge when she approached behind them, "Perfectly inviting and safe, seems too good to be true doesn't it?"

Feron gave Jack a cold look quickly, the Drell apparently hadn't wanted Jack to tell anyone what was going on. Luckily, Mordin filled the silence, "Even if we are ambushed, we'll be ok. Was able to replicate Collector swarm jamming devices for the whole crew. Won't be paralyzed."

Jack looked back in Mordin's direction to see Kal, Saren, Zero, Miranda, Jacob, Garrus, and Thane planned on joining him, Tali, and Feron. It was certainly the largest squad he had commanded which made him nervous but, he was going to need all of them. If Miranda and Jacob were in on what The Illusive Man was up to, he needed to count on everyone else to be able to fight them as well as the Collectors, and escape. His heart was hammering from all the pressure weighing down on him for this to work until Kal approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

Miranda ignored them and looked towards the ship, "EDI, from the schematics of the Collector ship, where's the bridge?"

EDI's usual orb like shape turned into a blueprint layout of the Collector ship, "Scanning.... If my readings are correct, all power conduits lead to the exact center of the ship here."

The location was marked with a red glow and Jack took a subtle breath, "Alright, Joker take us to the hull breach closest to the bridge. I want everyone to move fast, we have no idea what's going on in there."

Saren tensed and motioned to the blueprint, "Wouldn't it be smarter if we separate into two teams? That way if one of the teams gets bogged down, the other could get the data while the first retreats?"

Miranda folded her arms skeptically, "EDI just said that the crew was most likely dead, I don't think there's any need for those kinds of tactics."

Saren gave her a cool look, "We are dealing with the Reapers, I don't think normal readings from an AI can be completely trusted. Do you?"

Jacob shook his head looking suspicious, "And who would lead this second team, you? I don't think so."

Zero glared at him with disdain, "It's a lot better than you running it beefcake. I don't know if any thoughts run through that head of yours other than Cerberus good, aliens bad."

Normally, Jack would've said no but, Saren and Garrus were giving him the same look. He could best describe it as them asking him to trust them, what were they up to? Kal had obviously told them what was going on but, he wasn't sure what their plan was. Maybe to try and find escape pods in case everything went to hell? It was a liability to let Saren wander around the ship with only a few people around him given the control chip, but having him close by didn't really change that. Wait, the control chip, Garrus and Saren wanted time by themselves to see if they could remove the chip without the Normandy's camera's watching them. It was a dangerous gamble but, if they pulled it off he could have one more ally helping against Cerberus.

Jack let his commanding tone fill the room, "Cut the chatter everyone, we're wasting enough time just standing here arguing! Saren's the only other SPECTRE aboard so I think he'd be the best choice for a second team."

Jacob gave an irritated huff, "Alright Commander, but I insist on coming along. We can't risk Saren doing something that would endanger the rest of the crew."

Saren cut in before he could, "Fine, I also want Garrus, Zero, and Tali to acompany me."

Kal looked at Jack for permission and after a little nod, cautiously approached, "Do you have room for one more?"

Zero answered in a hostile tone before Saren, "No, I think five people are enough to not attract as much attention, fucker."

Miranda coughed awkwardly, "I wouldn't have phrased it that way exactly but, she's right. If this pointless plan is going to have any kind of merit, the second team needs to be smaller than the first."

Joker cleared his throat glancing over his shoulder at them, "I don't want to break up all the fun your having but, we're hovering over the first drop point and all this talk about Collectors is making me paranoid."

He understood Kal wanted to go with Saren's team to make sure Zero would be safe. Unfortunately, they didn't have the time to argue with her on the topic and in truth nowhere was going to be safe on that ship. If the Collectors were truly waiting to kill them, it wouldn't matter which group they were in. Thankfully, Kal didn't say anything and just stepped backwards next to him again. He was confident that even if Saren didn't have her safety on his mind, Garrus and Tali would pick up the slack to keep her safe. Garrus at least already knew how much she meant to Kal and wouldn't just throw that all away.

Jack gave a grim nod, "Ok then, I want everyone to be careful. We'll either meet up on the bridge or back at the ship."

Without another word, he entered the airlock with his helmet on along with Kal, Miranda, Thane, Feron, and Mordin. The six of them watched as the outer airlock door opened revealing the breach of the Collector ship. While it was probably a small hole in comparison to the rest of the ship, it took up the space of the airlock door. This had to be from Zero's action on Horizon. Seeing the kind of utter destruction was terrifying if you didn't have her on your side. They all stepped out of the Normandy's airlock and drifted towards the floor EDI had marked for them. He was somewhat relieved to see a few Collector bodies floating in space besides them. At least some of the crew was dead from whatever Zero accomplished.

The moment his feet touched the ground in the Collector ship, Jack felt uneasy. He expected to see walls and floors made of durasteel like any other ship, instead the walls looked soft. The floor even pulsated when he stepped on it making Jack think of the plant he had encountered on Feros. A chill ran down his spine from the thought that everything around them could be living tissue. Maybe this was why the Collectors were kidnapping so many colonists, they needed them for their ships. It wouldn't explain Sovereign's involvement though, the Reaper ship had definitely been stronger than the average strand of Human DNA.

Mordin approached one of the walls and scanned it with his omni tool, "Fascinating, this structure contains millions of strands of DNA as well as nano-machines. Truly remarkable. Organic and Synthetic material working side by side. Need to take samples, may never see anything like it again in my lifetime."

Jack took a nervous step in Mordin's direction, "Just do it fast, I don't want to have to stay in here any longer than necessary."

Saren's voice buzzed in his ear, "I want everyone to perform a comm's check. We don't want to be caught off guard in a firefight."

After everyone checked in on the same channel Kal said, "Be careful Jack, stay close to Garrus and Tali."

Zero responded sarcastically, "Will do dad, now if you'd just piss off, we have work to do."

The channel cut and they started moving through the narrow hallways of the ship. Jack could tell Kal was disappointed with Zero continuing to push him away but, he didn't know how he could help. If Jack had been in Kal's place he would've lied about Cora as well to try and keep her safe. She was too unpredictable at this age to be expected to handle that information well, yet now she knew. Kal couldn't take back the lie now, so how else could he prove to Zero that he cared about her? It was a question that was going to have to wait until after they were back in Alliance space.

Thane stepped forward so he was shoulder to shoulder with Kal, "You care for her as though she was your own child. The girl?"

Kal kept his attention on the hallway in front of him but tilted his head, "From the moment I saw her up close for the first time."

Thane kept one eye looking ahead while the other partially stared at Kal, "Would it be too forward of me to ask you why?"

Miranda spoke for him, "The two of them share very similar traumatic childhoods. It's only natural for the two of them to want to lean on the other for support."

Mordin shook his head rapidly, "Not exactly the case. Wik's theory on affection only purposes individuals with similar childhood backgrounds will gravitate towards each other. He makes no claim as to what kind of gravitation it would be. Your confusing that with Halen's theory on-"

Seeing that the conversation was making Kal uncomfortable, Jack spoke up, "We need to focus on getting to the bridge. We don't want to alert any survivors we're here by talking."

Thane spoke quieter, "Apologies Shepard. I was just going to say that whatever the case may be, you should keep your outward affection towards her to a minimum."

Kal tilted his head curiously, "And why's that?"

Thane spoke with a rather blunt tone, "Because assassins like me would use that kind of relationship to get to you in any number of ways. The bond a parent has for their child is the strongest bond in the galaxy."

Feron approached the door in front of them with a tiny growl, "Most of the time anyways..."

The door opened and Jack gasped at what had to be the main tunnel for the entire ship. The exterior walls and ceiling were covered in the pods used to kidnap the colonists. They were too far away to be able to tell how many of the pods were full but, there had to be millions of them if not more. He was confident the Collectors had enough pods here in this one ship to take at least half of the Human population on Earth alone. After seeing the number of pods here, Jack wondered why the Collectors were picking such tiny colonies and not Earth.

Kal slowed to a stop behind him and stared, "Keelah...Jack this is...."

Mordin finished his thought, "My rough estimate based on pod size and ship size would put Humanities extinction at 74% probability. Collectors must be stopped at all costs."

Joker commed them again, "Hey uhh Commander, you gotta hear this. On a hunch, I asked EDI to run an analysis on this ship."

Jack was moving slowly, expecting a Collector trooper to jump out at them any moment now, "Yeah? And what did you find?"

Joker sounded tense as he continued, "I compared the electromagnetic profile of this ship right now against data recorded by the original Normandy two years ago. They are an exact match."

Miranda stopped walking and frowned, "Joker that can't be right. Two years ago this ship would've been in good condition, there's no way EM profiles could match up."

EDI answered for him, "Shepard, I was aware of this inconsistency and thus ran the scan again. After comparing this ship's EM signature to all other known Collector profiles, I have been able to determine it is the vessel you encountered in the Amada System."

Kal tensed up tightening his grip on his shotgun, "So your saying this ship has played dead before when trying to kill us?"

Jack approached the door to the bridge with a little more caution now, "Thanks for the warning Joker. Get the ship ready for a quick get away in case things go south."

Miranda stood next to him looking troubled, "Shepard this doesn't make any sense. My cell assumed Cora only communicated with the Collectors for a short time after kidnapping you from a Reaper attack. That she was just in the right place at the right time to take you. If this was the same ship used, my engineers failed to identify the difference between Collector and Reaper technology. They aren't that stupid Jack."

Kal let out an angry huff, "Your suddenly surprised by the possibility that you were lied to by the people you work for."

Feron pushed past them with his gun drawn, "Let's see how far the lying goes Miranda."

He kicked down the door to the bridge and the six of them charged inside. Jack was expecting to see a squad of Collector troopers waiting for them but instead, just saw dead bodies. It was as if the Collectors on the bridge had died without any real explanation. Maybe one of the hull breaches by the Turians suffocated them. However, most bridges on modern ships had technology to seal themselves off from the rest of the ship in case of an emergency. He couldn't believe something as advanced as the Reapers wouldn't have that capability. Regardless, they were all dead and the bridge's primary terminal was right in front of them.

Feron spoke up, "EDI, get ready for the upload of data. I'm plugging in now."

They watched as he plugged two omni tools into the terminal. Jack knew immediately that one omni tool was for EDI while the other was making a copy of the data for himself. It was definitely smart to be able to hand something physical back to the Alliance when this was all over but, in the short term it seemed rather foolish. Miranda was standing right next to them and would certainly find it strange that Feron wasn't devoting everything to Cerberus. Did he really trust her enough to think she wasn't in on any of this? Jack admitted to himself that it might have been possible but, she seemed to loyal to the cause for The Illusive Man to keep her out of the loop on his biggest operation. 

Miranda raised an eyebrow in his direction, "Why two omni tools?"

Feron passed it off with a smile, "I want to make sure we get everything even if EDI has to disconnect."

EDI's voice came from the bridge, "Data received..... Analyzing.... I have to search through the last topic searched until I find information on the Omega-4 Relay." A second later she spoke again, "The Collectors seemed to have been running baseline genetic comparisons between their species and Humanity."

Jack gave everyone in the room a perplexed look, "Why EDI?"

EDI seemed to not mind getting interrupted, "I have no hypothesis on their motivations. All I have are the preliminary results. They reveal something truly remarkable. A quad-strand genetic structure, identical to traces collected from ancient ruins. Only one race is known to have this structure, the Protheans."

Jack's eyes widened staring at the bodies of the Collectors all around them, "Oh my god, the Reapers didn't just wipe out the Protheans, they indoctrinated them all for the next cycle."

EDI kept her usual calm tone, "These are no longer Protheans, Shepard. Their genes show distinct signs of extensive genetic rewrite. It appears as though the Reapers have repurposed them to suit their needs."

Kal seemed to understand why Jack was so upset, this could be them if Sovereign was successful, "Why has no one discovered this before? The Collectors have been around the galaxy for the past two years and no one picked up on this?"

EDI's tone took a defensive edge, "No one has had an opportunity to study a Collector genetic code in this detail. I have already matched two thousand alleles to recorded fragments. This Collector likely descends from a Prothean colony in the Styx Theta cluster."

Feron gritted his teeth and was tapping on one foot out of irritation, "That's a great find EDI but, we need you to focus on ship communications and the Omega-4 Relay."

EDI waited a few seconds, "Scanning... I have found something inconsistent. The Turian distress call that served as the catalyst for our arrival is a fake. The Collectors were the original source, not the Turians. It is unusual."

Kal was pacing with his gun swinging around, Jack could tell he wanted to shoot Miranda right now, "Your damn right it's unusual, The Illusive Man lied to get us here."

Jack was prepared to pounce as well but saw Miranda's expression was genuinely confused, "EDI, explain please."

The AI spoke a tad slower, "Turian emergency channels have a secondary layer encryption. It is present, but corrupted in the message. It is not possible that The Illusive Man would believe the distress call was genuine."

Miranda raised an eyebrow, "Is it possible The Illusive Man missed the corruption?"

EDI's voice was solemn now, "No, I found the anomaly within Cerberus security detection protocols. He wrote them."

Feron was clearly still frustrated, "And what about the Omega-4 Relay or communications with the Red Rose? Anything?"

The lights of the bridge turned pitch black and a familiar voice boomed, "Assuming direct control!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy new year!


	39. Chapter 38: The Snap

Saren's heart was pounding with anticipation, he finally had a plan to be free of the control chip. No, he hadn't asked Shepard first but, the Human didn't have many options right now. He always knew Harper was running the show for some secret grand design, Saren just never imagined it would be to work with the Reapers. If Saren was a betting man, he'd assume Sovereign had somehow indoctrinated him since his own death. The problem was that Harper wasn't acting nearly as irrationally as he was at a similar point. According to Garrus, he had framed his brother for killing countless innocent people. They had been Humans but, Saren would've killed them himself and only if they got in his way, not pin it on the only close family member he had left. Regardless of his theory, Cerberus was working with the Reapers and so they had to be stopped.

If they had learned this hard evidence a few days ago, he would have gone to a surgeon on Illium and had the chip removed during the chaos. Unfortunately, with Shepard potentially planning on taking the Normandy over after their mission here, Saren didn't get to have the luxury of a sterile environment. So, he and Garrus had come up with a quick plan that was risky but had to work. At some point in a lull of fighting, if there was any to begin with, they would stun Jacob so Zero could tear off his back fringe. Then the Quarian would hopefully be able to find the chip and remove it. She didn't really know her part of the plan yet but, Garrus had assured him Tali thought fast on her feet. The question was, would she want to?

Saren decided to act like this was a real mission even though he was counting on Shepard to do the leg work for Jacob's benefit, "I want everyone to perform a comm's check. We don't want to be caught off guard in a firefight."

Kal was the last one to check in and responded with, "Be careful Jack, stay close to Garrus and Tali."

He was amused that Kal had asked the girl to stay close to anyone else but him. Did the Quarian really assume he was a maniac that killed all Humans? Sure, that was his only prior experience with Saren before but, he had been indoctrinated. Furthermore, Saren wouldn't have become the Council's best SPECTRE if he just killed Humans for the fun of it. He saw Zero as a valuable asset in his private war against the Harper's. Someone had once said rage was a powerful anesthetic and they had been right. The girl was a tool for him, he wasn't about to throw that away because she was Human.

Zero responded with an edge that made even Saren wince, "Will do dad, now if you'd just piss off, we have work to do."

As they walked through narrow halls of organic material, Tali gave her a curious look with a tilt of her head, "You know, Kal can be a bit of a bosh'tet sometimes but, he's never coming from a bad place."

Jack scoffed, glaring in Tali's direction, "No offense sister, but I don't think he ever lied about your childhood torturer to your face. So why don't you just keep to your own god damned business?"

Tali cleared her throat not knowing the full extent of their relationship, "No he didn't...but.....he did hide the fact he was gay from me until the night before we were supposed to have our wedding. Do you wanna know why he did that?"

Jack shook her head with a laugh, "Why does that not surprise me? And I know why, because he's a fucking asshole."

Tali sighed patiently, "It was because he cared about me and didn't want to hurt my feelings. He knew I was attracted to him since the time we were small and he didn't want to ruin that dream for me. Was it shitty? Yes it definitely was, but he wasn't trying to hurt me."

Jacob spoke up for the first time since the comm check, "No, Kal didn't tell you because of the flotila's policies against gay people. Don't try and make him into some white knight Tali, he's just as selfish as Shepard when he wants to be and you know it."

Garrus' subvocals flared with a cringe worthy amount of defensivness, "That's just not true, Kal saved countless innocent people for two years on Omega despite plenty of risks."

Jacob rolled his eyes as they approached a door, "I said when he wants to be Garrus. I'm not about to argue he doesn't have any heroic moments."

Sensing this could turn into a brawl, Saren raised his voice, "Like Zero said a few seconds ago, we have work to do. That work doesn't involve arguing about the morality of other crew members."

He opened the door before anyone could debate the point and they all gasped. The central tunnel of the Collector ship must've had millions, if not billions of life pods lining the walls. Thank the Spirits he didn't have access to this technology when he was indoctrinated, he would've sent it right at Earth. He wondered how many of the pods were full from all the colonial abductions that had already occurred. The more important question was why did the Collectors need this much raw organic material? Other than the hull breaches, this ship was in too good of a condition to need that many repairs. The only thing Saren could think of was Sovereign somehow converting all of this matter into his 'shell' at the 'forge.'

Jack kept marching ahead, "The sooner we get the data, the sooner we can get out of this creepy place. Shall we?"

Saren noticed she was heading towards what appeared to be an elevator going up to the bridge and he couldn't help but grin to himself, what a smart girl. An elevator would be isolated enough to conduct their makeshift surgery without unwanted interruptions. If the Collectors were still alive it could be a problem but, since they hadn't attacked yet, Saren was starting to doubt any were alive. Admittedly, that was going to make the Jacob side of things more complicated since they wouldn't have Collectors to blame for him passing out but, if Shepard pulled this off they wouldn't have to explain anything to anyone.

Jacob was the first one in the elevator and glanced at the controls, "It's no good Jack, this console is in a language I can't even begin to describe.. EDI, could you-"

As he followed Jacob inside, Saren felt a spark of pain to the back of his head and his vision faded. At first, Saren just assumed something with the Collector technology was making his control chip go haywire. That was until he started seeing visions of the Reapers. Large ships identical to that of Sovereign were landing on an unknown world and started killing the beings there. His gut twisted several times realizing that these creatures being slaughtered looked extremely close to that of the Collectors. They had the same four eyes, brown carapace, wings, as well as tiny insect like swarms hovering around them. This wasn't the control chip, it was the vision he had seen on Eden Prime, triggered by seeing something Prothean for the first time.

Garrus rushed over to his side since he had collapsed, "Hey, are you alright? Here let me get you some medi-gel."

Saren stood up quickly and brushed away the pack knowing they'd need it later, "No I'm fine.."

Jacob turned to gaze in his direction, "What did you just see? Shepard made that exact same expression right after he saw a part of his Eden Prime vision on Freedom's Progress."

Saren didn't answer him immediately because of the implications of what he saw, "Everyone get on the elevator, I'll be able to man the controls."

Tali stared at him in disbelief, "Oh Keelah...if he can do that...that means..."

Jack finished her sentence for her, "That means the Collectors were the Protheans. We get it sister."

Garrus stood right behind him, "Is that true?"

Saren wanted to say no to calm his brother down from the fear he must be feeling right now but, he couldn't, "Yes."

He was about to make his surprise move on Jacob in the middle of this stunned silence but, the lights flickered off a moment later. Suddenly, the roof of the elevator was torn off by a squad of Collector soldiers with their guns pointed down at them. Out of pure instinct, Saren raised a biotic shield on the top of the elevator and was pleased the girl had done the same. She was already taking his early lessons to heart. The two of them managed to keep the barrier up until the Collectors were done unloading an entire clip of their acid based weaponry into it. When they started reloading, Saren and Zero lowered their biotics so the other three could unexpectedly return fire and kill the first wave.

Saren immediately started barking orders, "Zorah, I want you on that terminal to get this thing moving. Humans, take point at the door to make sure we aren't ambushed from that direction. Vakarian and I will watch the ceiling from more coming that way."

They all moved to their places but, Tali had concern in her voice, "I don't know the language Saren so I don't know how long this will take!"

Saren snarled after warping a Collector off the edge of the elevator, "Just do your best!"

EDI had to turn up the volume to be heard over the gunfire, "Let me assist your efforts, one of my primary functions is translating alien languages. Plug your omni tool into the device and I can begin."

Saren ducked and killed another Collector when Shepard's voice yelled in his ear, "We have as much data as we could get in time and are pulling back to the Normandy for extraction. Get out of there as fast as you can!"

EDI responded for him, "I suggest SPECTRE Arterius and the rest of team 2 takes this elevator to the top floor and rendezvous with the Normandy at a secondary hull breach."

Hearing the Human pilot speak made Saren's head ache, "Whatever you do, do it fast. The Collector ship is charging up for combat and I won't lose another Normandy."

Garrus gave Tali a smile while covering her, "You ever miss those talks we had on that slow ass original Normandy elevator?"

Tali wasn't in the mood for jokes as she was hacking the terminal with EDI's help, "What? No!"

Knowing Tali worked best when she didn't feel the pressure, Garrus continued, "Come on, remember how I'd ask you all about life on the flotilla? How about Kaidan's hair gel?" He headshotted another Collector, "It was an opportunity to share!"

Tali continued tapping away at the control panel, "This conversation is over."

Garrus killed another Collector charging for her, "Tell me again about your immune system and how it's different from Kal's!"

Tali took the opportunity to kill a Collector Jacob had missed, "I have a shotgun if you didn't remember CSEC."

Saren growled having to break one of the Collectors neck since it landed in the elevator with them, "This isn't a pleasure cruise, focus on getting us moving."

Garrus was trying to not look embarrassed, "Maybe we'll talk later then."

Saren was about to have to resort to grabbing the Collector's weapons since he was running out of ammo but, the elevator thankfully started moving. Not only that but, it was moving so fast that the Collectors weren't able to keep up with their wings. Originally, Saren thought they were going to have to scrap the plan because they wouldn't have enough time but now. As long as Garrus was right and Zorah worked quickly, they could get the chip out and blame it on Saren taking a hit from the acid. Even if they weren't able to remove the chip, Zorah could at least locate it for future removal. The only thing standing in his way right now was Jacob.

The elevator reached the top floor and Saren tapped his omni tool, "AI, how long will it take for the Normandy to reach us?"

EDI responded not knowing what he was planning on doing with that information, "With Shepard just now coming aboard, I would estimate 300 seconds."

He motioned for the others to turn their omni tools off while making sure to be out of Jacob's view, "We'll be there. Saren out."

Jacob frowned looking around the corner outside the elevator, "The Collectors could be right around the corner, we should probably hide in here until the Normandy is closer."

Saren subtly yet quickly moved so he was right behind him, "For once we agree on something."

Making sure he acted before Jacob could tell what was happening, Saren hit him in the back of the head with his assault rifle. He made sure the hit wasn't powerful enough to kill him but, it would be enough to keep him down for a few hours. Hopefully by the time he woke back up, Shepard would be in full control of the Normandy and they'd be heading for Alliance space. Otherwise, they were going to have to make up a story about how the Collectors had ambushed them miraculously from the back of the elevator. 

Tali pointed her shotgun at him and made a show of highlighting the fact that it was loaded, "Once a traitor always a traitor huh? I suggest you put the gun down before I blow your brains out."

Garrus rushed over towards Saren and put a knee on his spine to keep him flat when he layed down, "We don't have time to explain but that was part of the plan. Just follow our lead."

Jack went around to his other side and he could feel her biotics wrapping around the fringe coming off of his skull, "You sure that you can handle this? I don't want to drag around two dea-"

Saren interrupted her with a snarl, "We're wasting valuable time, just do it!"

He instantly regretted the command when she didn't count to three and just did it. With her biotics alone, the girl was able to snap off the three central rows of fringe he had off of his skull. If the pain wasn't so overwhelming, Saren would've admired how clean a cut she made without any medical equipment. As it was though, all Saren was experiencing was the pain ripping through his body like a whirlwind. She had effectively torn a part of his skull off so they could get access to his brain. He could hear his brother saying something but, everything was a mush besides the pain. Garrus and Tali were going to have to handle the rest of the mission, he was starting to see things.

34 years ago, Flux:

_o0o_

Saren strode into the newly opened bar with a sense of pride rolling off of him. He was a SPECTRE now, at nineteen, he was the youngest Turian SPECTRE in a generation. Not only that but also, one Harper was dead and the other was blinded in prison for the rest of their lives. Desolas could rest with the Spirits now knowing vengeance was served. Other Humans would surely follow in Harper's misguided footsteps, and he would be the first to stop them, but not tonight. Tonight, he was going to celebrate a victory for the Turian Hierarchy, and the galaxy as whole. Once again he had been able to prove that Humanity couldn't be trusted and the Turians were the ones to keep the peace.

While this bar had just opened, Saren was disappointed with the lack of a crowd. Maybe it was just because it was a Monday night and everyone had work in the morning but, a new bar in the Zakea Ward would've been big before he left for the cabal any day of the week. No one was at the gambling tables and only one group of friends were embarrassing themselves on the dance floor. He wondered what it was like to be that carefree, to not worry about all the galactic politics running everything into the ground. Saren couldn't have that luxury, but he could use his new SPECTRE ID to get alcohol before he turned twenty one and he was going to use it.

The short Volus bartender hobbled towards him, "Good evening Palaven-clan...shhhtt... What can I get for you...shhhtttt...this evening?"

Saren cast a casual blue eye over the menu, "Why not some rynchol? I don't have to go anywhere tomorrow and some Krogan piss sounds interesting."

The Volus put both of his small hands on his wide hips, "You do not look old enough...shhhttt...to be having that kind of drink Palaven-clan."

He was about to whip out his new SPECTRE ID with smugness when another Turian voice spoke first, "Just put it on my tab Doran. I'll make sure he gets home tonight."

Saren turned his head to see an even younger looking Turian stroll towards him like he owned the bar. He should've been offended that a younger Turian thought he could make sure Saren could get home but, he had to pick his jaw from off the floor first. The Turian was tall and lankey with a dark chocolate carapace and white facial markings. He was the very definition of 'stud' for a Turian. And that was even before he got a good look at those bright green eyes staring at him. Even though he was adopted by the Vakarians, Saren was a bareface, this Turian shouldn't even be looking at him let alone want to talk.

Doran grumbled and waddled away leaving the two of them alone and Saren cleared his throat, "You know I definitely didn't need your help. I'm a SPECTRE."

The Turian raised a browplate and smirked, "If your a SPECTRE, I'm actually old enough to buy that drink for you hot stuff."

Saren tried not to react to the flirt but his mandibles were practically flying against his face with embarrassment, "Well that's good because if I knew you weren't legal drinking age I might have to turn you in to my father." He pulled out his SPECTRE ID with a cocky grin.

The other Turian coughed up his drink and readjusted his collar, "Well shit...I ummm I'm seventeen, I just have a good Quarian friend on their pilgrimage and forged me a fake ID."

Saren chuckled softly amused, "Don't worry about it.. I don't know your name anyways so I can't exactly report it. And the Volus must be blind not to notice your younger than me."

The Turian gently extended his hand for a shake, "Why don't we start with Nih...that's what my friends over on the dance floor like to call me..."

Saren gave that warm hand a tight grip, "It's nice to meet you Nih, you can call me Saren."


	40. Chapter 39: Reasonable Doubt

Jack was the last one to step back onto the Normandy with his heart pounding. The Collectors had chased them from the bridge all the way back to the hull breach with a furious, relentless, efficiency. Mordin had tossed a cryo grenade at one of the Collectors legs only for it to use it's wings to fly forward without it. He was extremely thankful for Feron's and Thane's biotics which had shielded them from the acid weaponry shot at them. It was a bit of a surprise that Sovereign's Collector had stayed back commanding the rest of them instead of charging after the group personally. Was he intentionally allowing them to get away?

Joker was quickly tapping at the controls, "We're headed for team two Commander, hopefully they're ready for a pick up."

EDI's orb appeared next to them, "Unfortunately, all members of team two have just disabled their omni tool's. I am unable to determine their exact location."

Kal tensed and kicked the wall, "Shit, EDI what was their last location?"

EDI pulled up an image of the Collector ship again, "As of 5 seconds ago, all members of team two were still inside this elevator shaft."

Jack picked up his rifle again checking the ammo count, "Alright, if they're not at the hull breach we're going to go in after them."

Miranda's eyebrows shot up and she shook her head, "Shepard, if they aren't there we're going to have to leave without them. If we lose the Normandy, all of this was for nothing."

He knew she was right, the mission needed to take priority. The galaxy was at stake and if they died, every other living being was at risk. His hope was that the omni tools were disabled just because the team was busy getting Saren's control chip out but, he had a bad feeling. Logically, his only option was to order the Normandy right back through the Mass Relay if no one was waiting for them at the second hull breach. Jack's heart couldn't just do that though: Garrus, Tali, Zero and Saren were in there and may need to be rescued. Garrus and Tali were some of his best friends and Zero meant the world to Kal, abandoning them wasn't on the table.

EDI's response made his heart sink, "I'm not detecting any life signs at the hull breach. There is a 94% probability that all members of team two were ambushed and killed."

Jack looked at Feron with a nod and then to Miranda, "If we aren't back here in two minutes take the data and leave without us."

Before he could even put his helmet on, Thane was approaching the airlock still suited up, "Commander, allow me to go in and look for them. I do not have the responsibility of saving the galaxy on my shoulders."

Jack glanced at Kal and snapped his helmet on with a hiss, "We're going with you. Joker, open the airlock and keep the Normandy here for the next two minutes."

The three of them jumped back into the ship without hesitation. Jack had no idea what his plan was if they found them after the Normandy was already gone but, he'd think of something if he had to. Luckily, they could already hear the sounds of gunfire meaning at least one member of the team was alive and they were close. Running around the corner, Jack could see Garrus and Tali were dragging an unconscious Saren, while Zero was trying to multitask between holding off the Collectors and dragging Jacob. The three of them started shooting at the Collectors so Zero could focus on just moving Jacob.

Tali huffed while tugging on Saren's shoulder, "Sorry we're late, this bosh'tet decided I was a good choice for brain surgeon in the middle of a battle."

Garrus fired at a Collector Kal had missed, "Hey, it's tech so I thought you'd know about it more than I do at the very least."

Jack helped Tali lift up her side of Saren's body, "We'll worry about it when we get onto the ship alright?"

Out of nowhere, the ground beneath their feet rumbled and the whole ship felt like something had hit them. Jack knew the Normandy didn't have that much power in it's guns so the question was, what hit them? His first thought was that maybe the Collector ship had accidentally hit the Mass Relay as it was charging up. The second impact made him realize they were under attack by another ship, most likely a dreadnought of some kind. What were the chances that a dreadnought would just happen to jump into the system and immediately start attacking the Collectors?

EDI spoke through his omni tool, "It appears as though the Turians have responded to the fake distress call and are attacking the Collector ship. At this rate they might be able to destroy the ship before you get back to the Normandy. I would suggest you hurry."

Jack shook his head wanting to scream, "So much for The Illusive Man giving the Turians false reports. You heard her, we gotta move!"

Joker sounded worried when he said, "I had to detach the Normandy because of the explosions. Your going to have to jump across a pretty big gap to get to the airlock!"

Jack tried not to get more furious with the situation, "It's alright Joker, just keep the ship as close as you can. We're almost there!"

The hull breach was right in front of them now as well as a squad of Collectors. He and Tali let go of Saren so they could start shooting while Garrus threw the other Turian over his shoulder. At the same time, Kal was covering their other flank so Zero and Thane could carry Jacob forward. Jack felt his nerves get more tense upon seeing just how far the Normandy was from them now. The only way they were going to get back on board was going to be by jumping with a biotic member of the team catching them at the airlock. To his surprise, he could already see Miranda waiting for them at the entrance to the airlock. He assumed she thought this was a waste of time and was more interested in leaving them behind.

Jack glanced in Garrus' direction since he was hesitating, "Go, we'll cover you!"

Tali added after shooting another Collector with her shotgun, "I'll be right behind you bosh'tet."

Garrus took a running jump into space with Saren over his shoulder only for Miranda to catch them with her biotics and drag them back to the Normandy. Jack lost his footing for a few seconds from another boom to the ship but, it allowed him to avoid a few shots from the Collectors weapons. He quickly got back up to his feet and tapped Tali's shoulder so she'd know it was her turn to jump across. When she left his left flank, Jack moved to a corner of the hull breach so he could at least see where all the Collectors were coming at them from. Zero and Thane were next at the breach and looked at each other while holding Jacob up. They used their own biotics to hurl Jacob in Miranda's direction.

EDI didn't seem to care that he was distracted by killing Collectors as they arrived, "The Collector's drive core has spiked to 97%. I hypothesise they are intending to make a jump through FTL at any moment."

He was about to respond when another boom rocked the ship about dramatically. That hit was different from the others because the ship was still shaking them about. The Turians must've scored a major hit because the ship was even now, still shaking. Jack eyes widened in fear as the ground started to disappear around Zero's feet and move towards another part of the ship. Zero wasn't paying close enough attention to what was happening under her and started falling through the hole. He was too far away to help her but, started running in her direction anyways.

Kal threw himself on the ground with a slide and reached out to grab her, "Got you! Just hold on!"

Zero glared up at him and warped a Collector with her free hand, "Just let me go! You don't have time to mess around with me."

Jack killed several Collectors coming up behind Kal and grabbed him so they wouldn't fall, "Hang on Jack, we're getting out of here." He pulled them both to their feet. "Ok, we gotta keep going."

Thane snatched his rifle from him and kept firing at the ever increasing crowd of Collectors, "I suggest the three of you hang on to each other as hard as you can."

Without another word, the Drell used his biotics and tossed them out of the hull breach and in the direction of the Normandy. Did the Drell know he was sacrificing himself since Miranda wasn't going to be able to catch four of them? He smirked though when he saw Feron had joined Miranda at the airlock and was using his own biotics to save his father. Even though they weren't completely out of the woods yet, Jack couldn't help but feel relieved that they were off of the Collector ship. Despite The Illusive Man throwing him into a trap in the lions den, not one member of his team had been killed. Now he just had to hope EDI was able to grab evidence about the Reapers or information on the Omega-4 Relay.

Jack pulled his family deeper into the airlock so the door would close behind them, "Joker get us out of here! Anywhere will do buddy."

Joker let out a breath, "You don't have to ask me twice, here we go."

Miranda was panting heavily with a slightly bloody nose, "You could've gotten yourselves killed, let's not do something like that again."

Zero stood up gruffly and wiped down her armor, "I think that's the only thing we can actually agree on princess." She looked down towards Jack and Kal, "Thanks for not leaving me behind but, don't think this changes anything. Your both still assholes."

Feron jabbed Thane with his index finger, "What were you thinking? You could've gotten yourself killed."

Thane just gave him a sly smile, "I was thinking my son was going to drag me back to the ship in one piece."

His blood was still pumping with adrenaline as EDI commed the airlock, "Shepard, The Illusive Man has set up communications and is waiting for an update in the conference room."

Jack considered the possibility of trying to take over the ship right now. That had been the original plan after all and they most likely had the data they needed for the Alliance. From Tali and Garrus' discussion, Saren's control chip was still installed but that wasn't a big issue if he remained unconscious. Jacob was in a similar state so that only left Miranda and the other support crew. The only problem was he had underestimated how much combat with the Collectors they had to go through on the ship. He wasn't feeling much better than the two unconscious crew members right now.

Feron straightened up and turned away from Thane, "Tell him we'll be right there EDI."

Jack helped Kal back up to his feet and gripped his shoulder, "I think he has a lot to answer for."

Miranda, Feron, and Kal joined him as he made way to the dark room. The usually bright orange and red dying star outside The Illusive Man's window was now a dull blue and purple. His first thought was that the station The Illusive Man was on had changed systems until he saw the same swirl like solar flares coming off of it. How unstable was the star if it could change temperatures that drastically every couple hours? He didn't think The Illusive Man was foolish enough to stay that close to that type of star, then again he didn't think he'd work with the Collectors.

The Illusive Man was standing in front of his chair with a cigarette in one hand, "Shepard, congratulations on getting the data we needed."

Jack marched forward so he would be right in his face, "Congratulations? After all the lies you've told me just today you have the nerve to say congratulations?"

He didn't move away not intimidated by Jack's hologram in front of him, "We needed information on the Omega-4 Relay. That required direct access to Collector data. Trap or no, it was too good an opportunity to pass up. I needed the Collectors to believe they had the upper hand. Telling you could've tipped them off in any number of ways."

Jack glared at him wishing he could shoot him from here, "Well at least your admitting you lied to me to get your way today."

He took a puff from his cigarette, "It was a trap I designed... but I was confident in your abilities. And don't forget EDI. The Collectors couldn't have anticipated her."

Miranda put a hand on her hip trying not to sound too suspicious, "And how did we have open communications with the Collectors? Why would they believe anything Cerberus had to tell them?"

He started walking back towards his chair and grabbed his full shot glass, "As you well know, Cora traded technology with the Collectors shortly after kidnapping Shepard. I was able to use her old channel in order to communicate with them. The Collectors believe that Cora was giving them a lead, someone they thought they could trust."

Jack frowned still full of anger, "You make it sound as though that communication ever stopped. Are you trying to tell me you weren't aware your daughter has been leading the Collectors by the hand to each of the colonies hit?"

He sat back down and started putting his cigarette out, "Of course I've known from the very beginning Shepard, there's a reason she's no longer with Cerberus. If I had told you from the start it would've been impossible for me to gain your trust. Now, you can compare both of our behaviors and see I'm interested in defeating the Collectors."

Miranda couldn't help but smile, "Since we were able to escape the Collectors so easily, they'll think Cora sold them out. Your making her more and more isolated by the day. And the Collectors won't have her help in jamming colony communications."

The Illusive Man nodded taking a sip of the alcohol, "My only regret is not having the opportunity to cut that relationship sooner. More Human lives might've been saved."

Jack honestly didn't know how to feel right now, what The Illusive Man was saying did make a twisted sort of sense. He definitely wouldn't have trusted Cerberus at all if their first conversation revolved around Cora guiding the Collectors to their targets for the past two years. Cerberus supposedly had some of the best assassins Humanity had to offer and yet, The Illusive Man just waited until now while Cora hit Human colonies? Yes she was his daughter but, she was apparently doing something that was against everything he believed in. Why would it take this long for him to take action?

Kal took an angry tone, "You've lied to us for months now and once you get caught, you want us to believe you've always been against her? Give me a break."

When he didn't immediately respond, Jack said, "I need you to actively prove your going after Cora with everything you've got. Otherwise, I walk and take my crew with me."

He folded one leg over the other and tapped a button on his chair, "I've just authorized EDI to forward you financial transactions I've had with several bounty hunters as well as hourly updates from them."

Jack looked down at his omni tool, "Zaeed Massani? Who's that?"

Feron's eyes glazed over for a moment, "I scan my Alliance field test looking for any wrong answers. My eyes hurt from hours of staring at the same omni but, I find something wrong. The red ink of my pen has circled Vido Santiago as bounty hunter founder of the Blue Suns. I cheat and remember it was instead Zaeed Massani."

The Illusive Man motioned towards the Drell, "I couldn't have said it any better myself. Zaeed led a primarily Batarian mercenary organization for over thirty years, certainly someone not sympathetic towards Cerberus' cause. And yet, I hired him to go after my daughter because I know he is the best bounty hunter in the galaxy. He'll find her, and until he does he'll be sending all of us hourly video reports. If that's not enough proof I'm on your side Shepard, I don't know what is."

Jack gritted his teeth, "No more lies, there's no way I can actually defeat the Collectors if you go behind my back with information."

He didn't directly look at him, "This is no time for petty grudges Shepard. Things are about to get a lot tougher. As much as we try to avoid them, these decisions need to be made. Given your record, I expected you to be more understanding. Besides, I wouldn't have sent you in if I didn't think you could succeed. You may not like being on the receiving end, neither would I, but the facts are with me."

Jack put both hands on his hips, "I guess that's the best answer I could hope for coming from you. What's the plan now?"

He grabbed his lighter but just looked at it, "EDI is sifting through all of the data looking for anything regarding the Omega-4 Relay. I would suggest taking some time off and telling the crew I didn't risk their lives unnecessarily."

The room returned to normal leaving Jack uncertain about what to do now.


	41. Chapter 40: The BA Weekly

Jack's brain was fighting itself about what he should be doing right now. The Illusive Man's financial dealings with multiple bounty hunters checked out and he was getting video recordings from Zaeed Massani. Apparently, Cora was last sighted in the Armstrong Cluster meeting with a former N7. No more details were given except for the fact that Zaeed was going to follow her around until she separated from her meeting associate. It was all checking out to be on the up and up, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The Illusive Man had lied to him so many times already that Jack was trying to see where the lie right now was.

He had a plan in place if everything on the Collector ship had gone perfectly but, very little actually had. For starters, the data they had grabbed from the bridge was in a strange Prothean dialect meaning only EDI, Saren, and he could read it. The Alliance had the Mars Archive for Prothean material but, if the data was in another dialect, it could take years for independent Alliance scientists to translate it. That would mean years of the Alliance not doing anything while Sovereign continued his quest to restart the cycle and he would most likely be in custody. Then there was the fact that Saren still had the control chip in his head meaning Cerberus owned him. Not only would the Turian fight them if they tried to escape but also, Garrus would be forced to leave him behind or kill him again. Jack couldn't ask Garrus to do that again.

With all those things running through his mind, Jack once again saw his only option was to stay with Cerberus. He knew just how terrible of an option it was, knowing that The Illusive Man was probably still lying to him about something but, he didn't have any other options. Sovereign wasn't going to wait on a dozen Alliance scientists translating the Prothean data, and he certainly wasn't going to wait around for Saren to become free. Kal wasn't going to like this at all but, as long as The Illusive Man didn't actively try to sabotage them and Zaeed kept giving them credibile information on his hunt for Cora, they were going to have to stay with Cerberus. It was for the good of the galaxy that they stay and he knew Kal saw that, no matter how reluctantly. After the briefing with The Illusive Man, Jack invited Feron up to their cabin for a chat.

Kal rubbed his hand up along his helmet and glanced in Feron's direction, "So? Could you tell if the di'kut was still lying to us?"

Feron looked uncomfortably at the both of them, "I don't know, the data he's sending checks out but.. I wasn't in the room with him. With Shepard I could read his facial features and listen to his heartbeat. I can't do that with someone potentially millions of lightyears away."

Jack took a deep breath trying not to sound too disappointed, "I'm guessing you haven't heard anything from the Alliance yet either. Nothing clearing my name at least."

Feron shook his head regretfully, "I hate to admit it but at this rate they're estimating it'll take three years to fully translate the dialect." He held up his hand before they could speak, "I understand you and Saren can read it right now but, the Alliance doesn't exactly view either of you as neutral parties. In the meantime, Admiral Mikhailovich has given me the order to arrest you for the Collector attacks."

Kal stood in front of Jack getting defensive, "You'd have to go through me and every other member of this crew first. There's no way we're letting the Alliance railroad him for something he didn't do."

Jack pulled Kal gently back to stand beside him, "I don't see any cuffs in hand so I think we're alright Kal. Is Mikhailovich new to the Joint Chiefs? I don't remember hearing his name when I was running around chasing Saren."

Feron nodded to them both, "Yes on both counts. Mikhailovich replaced Udina's position among the Chiefs as well as General Oleg Petrovsky who just resigned as head of the AIA. He's much more..hands on with his agents then Oleg. I am being told to arrest you but, I have no plans to. I believe the Reapers are a threat and your the key to stopping them.. That doesn't mean everyone in the Alliance agrees with me."

Jack raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, "Meaning what Feron?"

Feron put both of his hands in his jacket pockets, "Meaning Ashley Williams and Arnold Vega have been tasked with bringing us both in by any means necessary. I'm no longer an agent of the AIA, I have to stay in my Cerberus cover for the time being."

He shouldn't have been surprised Ashley joined the manhunt against him after their encounter on Horizon but, Vega's mention made him blink. Their short talk on the Normandy had gone well enough, he had warned Jack he was going to kill The Illusive Man. Why would he do that if he thought Jack was working with Cerberus the entire time? Did he blame Jack for not finding him on Akuze and thus being trapped to work with Cerberus for over a decade? It wasn't his fault he thought the Thresher Maw ate him whole and he didn't look under his corpse. What was he supposed to think after seeing that? There must be a secret back door underneath the hospital that he fell into? It was a ridiculous assumption to make for an eighteen year old.

Kal filled the silence, "Ashley doesn't surprise me, she was always a bosh'tet. I thought you and Vega worked together though? Shouldn't he be on your side?"

Feron kept a professional posture but he seemed a little upset, "Arnold feels betrayed that Shepard stayed with Cerberus even after learning what happened to him. He also thinks it's impossible that you have had no idea about Cora's involvement with the Collector attacks and thus must be working with her. I tried my best to suggest other alternatives but he wouldn't listen to me."

Jack rubbed the back of his neck lightly at the possibility of having to fight Arnold and Ashley if they ever crossed paths, "Thank you Feron for the update, and for not arresting me."

Feron smiled shyly putting his hands behind his back, "With all due respect Shepard, I didn't do this for you. The galaxy is at stake and no one seems to be stepping up to the plate to save it. Someone had to look at the big picture, I guess it just so happens to be me."

The Drell turned around and left without another word leaving Jack to wonder how he really felt about him. Feron had to be aware of what happened on Torfan if he worked in Cerberus for two years. Did he judge Jack for the actions he took to save Kal? He wouldn't have blamed Feron, many had already seen him as a monster. In the end, it didn't really matter all that much, he was here working with him to stop the Collectors. Jack did find it interesting that Feron seemingly devoted himself to the big picture just like Thane focused on his religion. He hoped the two of them would be able to reconcile their differences before Thane passed away.

Jack sighed as he watched Kal was pacing around the room, "So, what do you think?"

Kal turned to face him and tilted his head, "What do you mean? We don't really have another choice here."

Jack stood up walking towards him, "I can't do this without you. If you'd rather I turn myself in to the Alliance instead of staying here, I would."

Kal took both of Jack's hands before looking down at his feet, "I'm scared about what could happen to us if we stay but, we can't just leave either. I won't watch you rot in a prison cell for something your actively trying to stop."

Jack rested his head against Kal's visor, "Thank you....I just needed to know your still with me even now."

He was about to kiss him when EDI called his omni tool, "Shepard, Operative Lawson would like to have a word in the medical bay. She says it's urgent."

Kal pulled away from him and looked down at the omni tool, "He's on his way EDI." His eyes glanced up back in Jack's direction, "And for the record, I'm always with you cyar'ika even if I disagree with it a little."

Jack went into the elevator with a brief smile before the door closed leaving him alone. He had a small amount of time to think about what Miranda could've wanted and what the best response to it was. Since she was in the medbay, she was probably questioning how Saren and Jacob received their injuries inside the Collector ship. Admittedly, Jack had let Saren go off and do that because even if it failed, he thought they would be on their way to the Alliance by now and thus coming up with an explanation wasn't necessary. If Miranda got wind that he allowed Saren to attempt to remove his control chip, there would be hell to pay. She would call it reckless and irresponsible to the mission, maybe she'd even take full command of the ship.

To his surprise, Miranda was standing over Jacob's bed when he arrived, "Shepard, I thought you'd want to see this before you made up your mind about what to do about it."

He was about to ask see what when Jacob spoke up, "You too? How much did that Batarian bastard pay you to flip on the Alliance? When I get out of here I'm informing Kahoku personally that your a traitor Shepard. A traitor to the Alliance for Balak and Aria T'Loak."

The problem became clear the more Jacob kept talking, he had lost his memory after the Blitz. Jacob told him about being captured while working in the Alliance Corsairs program and Jack knew he lost his father because of Torfan. This sudden memory loss presented Jack with a few new problems and no easy solutions. His first reaction was to get Jacob off the ship and send him back to the Alliance for proper medical treatment. The problem with that though was if he remembered anything in Alliance custody, he could be just one more thing to add to his growing criminal charges right now. He couldn't just keep him on the ship either though because Jacob could attempt to escape back to the Alliance while he was out of it. Handing him to The Illusive Man created the same problem at a time when he didn't want any more exposure.

Miranda took him by the hand and led him to the door, "I suggest we just tell him the truth and see how he reacts. If poorly, we let him go back to the Alliance. We have enough problems to worry about other than Jacob."

Jack shook his head and whispered, "We can't tell him he's been working for a terrorist organization for two years without any context. And that context could make our mission harder than it already is."

Miranda bit on her lower lip trying to think, "The Alliance is already going to be hunting us because of the evidence Cora planted against you.. Your right that Jacob would only add fuel to that fire but, I don't see a way to avoid it..."

Kasumi's voice made them both jump, "You could all pretend this has been one massive prank or something. Don't the boys in the Corsairs do silly things to each other like that?"

Jack glanced at the thief who was now standing next to them, "And how would we explain going after the Collectors instead of the Batarians? Or the four year time difference on all our omni tools?"

Kasumi shrugged innocently, "It was just a thought, I don't have all the answers. Mainly I don't want a handsome guy like that leaving the ship so soon."

They all heard Jacob screaming for help and Miranda groaned, "I'm going to knock him out, and take a shuttle to Huerta Medical on the Citadel. We don't have time to debate how to deal with this. I'll catch up to the Normandy again when I'm done."

He wished there was a better option that wouldn't potentially have negative consequences for all of them but, Miranda was right. In order to fight the Collectors effectively, they needed everyone to be at one hundred percent. They couldn't constantly worry that a member of the team was going to attack them just because he didn't remember why he was there in the first place. Maybe this would be a good thing for Jacob, allowing him to forget all of the torture he experienced while in a cage on Torfan. He also found it interesting that Miranda was willing to leave the ship and Jack alone without any Cerberus supervision besides EDI. Did she trust him enough to know he wasn't going to run away from the ship? It was probably more likely that she knew EDI wouldn't allow him to do anything against the mission.

Kasumi frowned for a few seconds, "Poor thing, he must feel like an animal caged right now." A second later, she perked back up for Jack, "With that settled, I'm ready to cash in my favor with Cerberus. And before you say no, why don't you come to my quarters so we can talk about it?"

Jack cocked his head to one side, "What makes you think I was going to say no? The Illusive Man doesn't have any other leads on the Collectors right now so we have the time."

She smirked at him and started walking past the elevator, "You might change your tune when you hear what I need you to do but, we'll see."

The sheer amount of space for quarters on the Normandy continued to surprise Jack as he followed Kasumi down the hall in the other direction from life support. Her room was small and probably it's original design function was supposed to be a washing room for the ship but, she made it look cozy for a thief. Ancient paintings were hung on the walls that had to be stolen from art museums and she had a dozen fake roses in a vase next to her bed. In the makeshift closet, Jack could see a wide variety of fancy outfits that couldn't possibly just be for her. There may have even been a Quarian 'dress' inside if his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. He was surprised to see Vetra already sitting on the bed looking at a omni tool but just for a moment. It was possible that Kasumi's mission had something to do with Sidera's disappearance.

Vetra glared in Kasumi's direction and threw the omni tool on the bed, "What the hell is this Kasumi? Are you trying to get me killed?"

Jack stepped forward and looked at the image on the tool to see what she was reacting too. His eyes widened as he saw a picture of himself wearing a suit and holding a predator pistol with Vetra on his other flank getting cozy with him. The words around the picture were in a bold yellow font reading, "BadAss Weekly: Meet the gang that tried to kill a Pirate Queen!" Not only was the photo of them together heavily manipulated but, Vetra was also wearing her old Talons outfit and wasn't wearing any facepaint revealing her as Mandaria. What was Kasumi thinking? Putting the two of them together made Mand less safe from bounty hunters, the entire reason she was staying on the Normandy.

Kasumi rolled her eyes, "Yes I've spent all my time helping you try to find your sister just to kill you.. I'm not stupid. Just let me explain." She turned to address Jack, "Don't you think you clean up well, Mr. Solomon Gunn? Hock won’t know what hit him. You run a small but talented band of mercs out in the Terminus Systems and you've been gathering rejects like Mandaria and Archangel for your next big score. Precisely the type of person Hock respects. I took the liberty of giving you a reputation. Papers, recordings from the Dantius Towers, witnesses, and this article in BadAss Weekly. Just don’t start talking business with him, and you’ll be fine."

Jack crossed his arms taking a defensive tone, "Who is this Hock anyways? I remember you mentioning he was holding a party soon when we first met but nothing else."

Kasumi kept a neutral tone, "Donovan Hock’s a weapons dealer and smuggler. He killed my partner and stole his graybox, a storage device. Other than that, he’s not so bad. Rich, charismatic, willing to crack open a man’s skull to get at the neural implants inside."

Vetra was still understandably angry, "And what does any of that have to do with blowing my cover and endangering everyone on this ship?"

EDI's voice filled the room, "Even if bounty hunters were able to identify Solomon Gunn as an alias for Shepard, they would be unable to find us because of the Normandy's stealth drive. You will continue to be safe here."

Jack looked up at the ceiling, "Thanks EDI, but that's not the point."

Kasumi had a slight sarcastic tone, "You've both been waiting so patiently. Our friend Hock is throwing a party for his closest friends, namely other terrorists and slave traders. As well as couple dozen of the worst liars, cheaters, and mass murderers you’ll ever want to meet, all bringing gifts as a tribute to the man himself. Including little Turian girls meant for Nassana Dantius."

Vetra's eyes widened at that last part, "You found Sid then, your sure. No more wild goose chases?"

Kasumi smirked towards her, "Of course I'm sure, I wouldn't have gone to all this trouble if I wasn't. Now, our tribute is a lovely statue of your old friend Saren, since the galaxy still thinks he's dead, rendered with loving detail and filled to the brim with our weapons and armor. You can keep your pistol, as long as it’s concealed. They won’t hassle you over a sidearm. Once inside, we’ll make our way to Hock’s vault door, somewhere in the back of the ballroom. After that we case the security and start peeling away the layers. The statue should be there, waiting for you to crack it open and arm up. Finally, we just waltz into the vault and find Sid while I'll take back Keiji’s graybox. And I’ll finally get a chance to say goodbye....."

Vetra raised a browplate curiously, "Keiji meant a lot to you didn't he?"

Kasumi tried to keep a lighthearted voice, "Was I that obvious? Keiji’s graybox holds a lot of priceless, personal memories. It’s all that remains of who he was. But, the secret he discovered is also very dangerous. I wouldn’t bring you into this if it wasn’t. The graybox itself holds Keiji’s memories. Everything from all the codes and plans he stole to... all the time we spent together. Wrapped up in those memories is the last secret he stole. Keiji never told me what it was, but the information got him killed."

Jack motioned to the closet full of different species fancy outfits, "I'm guessing Mr. Gunn's mercenary band is more than just the three of us plus Garrus, who else do I need to bring that stuff to?"

Kasumi gave a nonchalant shrug, "I'll hand the outfits out but, it's going to be us, Garrus, Kal, Tali, Subject Zero, and I guess that's it since Miranda's leaving."

Vetra started playing with her hands, "How long before we get there?"

EDI responded for Kasumi, "We should be arriving in an hour, by my estimate you will be just in time for the party."

Jack grabbed his tuxedo from the closet, "Well then, we better hurry up and get dressed. It's time we get your sister back Mandaria."


	42. Chapter 41: Gunn, Solomon Gunn

Jack finally realized why he always found an excuse to avoid official functions in the Alliance whenever possible, he hated the uniforms. While the tuxedo Kasumi 'borrowed' for him fit surprisingly well, it still wasn't what he was used to. When he wasn't in his armor, Jack liked to wear a casual shirt and pants. The tux was stuffy and made him look far more important than he felt. On the other hand, the suit she got for Kal looked nice. It was entirely black and gray except for the sleeves which were see through plastic. It gave everyone a nice view of Kal's toned purple arms, however, he could tell Kal hated it even with his helmet on. The way his arms were folded and his overall body language said everything.

Kal tilted his red and blue helmet towards him, "I feel so naked wearing this thing. Who thought it was a good idea to make Quarian suits with see through bits? It goes against our culture."

Jack chuckled and wrapped his arms around Kal's stomach from behind, "You have no problem wanting to be naked around me when we're alone. I think it looks good on you."

Kal took his hands in his own causing their rings to rub together, "I know I can technically wear Human clothes if I wanted to but, since we started wearing the suits we've only shown off to our significant others. It's a cultural thing."

Jack tried not to laugh and smiled at him in the mirror, "It's not like your showing anything scandalous off Kal, just your nice handsome arms. You and Zero should have something to talk about though."

It was Kal's turn to laugh, "I already wished Kasumi luck trying to convince Zero to come along at all let alone wear something as fancy as the rest of us."

He glanced at their reflection in the mirror and noticed almost immediately he could see the oxygen tubing coming off of Kal's helmet and back into his suit. Normally, Kal would always wear the hood over his helmet to keep it hidden. There was still red markings on the suit and his actual helmet so he couldn't have been afraid that it wouldn't have matched anything else. Jack had a feeling that was the real reason he felt naked and uncomfortable. The tubing made him look more mechanical then he really was. Maybe the tubes contributed to the rumors that all Quarians were at least partially synthetic.

Jack let him go but tilted his head, "Where's your hood?"

Kal cleared his throat, "I...can't wear it for the mission. For one thing, it would make me more recognizable especially with you. And usually only females wear it as a way to tell males they're interested. If there are any Quarian exiles at this party, I don't want them knowing I'm gay."

Jack gave him a sympathetic smile, "I don't think you need to worry about impressing anyone here Kal, they're all murderers and other bad things according to Kasumi. It's up to you though.. Come on, let's go see the others."

Although Jack and Kal didn't enjoy dressing up, he had to admit the others looked pretty fashionable. Garrus was the first person to stand out to him since he had never seen the Turian out of his armor before. The Turian was wearing a casual yet form fitting blue and black military suit that was only marred by the bandages still on the side of his face from the napalm attack. It was hard to see Mandaria as Vetra right now since she was wearing her old Talon mercenary armor and missing the new purple facepaint. Kasumi was wearing the same black suit she always wore probably because she had a stealth field generator installed. She might not have wanted to bother with designing it onto a new suit for one occasion. He couldn't help but smile for Kal when he saw Zero waiting for them as well, and she had a dress on. It was white and revealed more than he was comfortable with but, by Zero's standards it was extremely modest.

Vetra was giving Garrus an awkward smile, "Th.. Thanks for doing this on such short notice. And for not yelling at me for being revealed to the criminal underworld as still being alive and well."

Garrus shrugged looking down at his outfit, "Ehh gives me an excuse to wear this thing for once. I'm kind of responsible for Sidera getting taken in the first place so I'm not going to complain."

Vetra shook her head quickly, "No your not, you were just following intel from a trusted source. It's my fault for keeping Sid so close to me instead of taking her off Omega. Both of you need to quit taking the blame for me being a bad big sister."

Kal glanced at Zero, giving her a subtle nod, "You look nice Jack."

Zero was glaring at him, "Ha, no I don't. I look like one of those obnoxious kids that think they're so precious going to prom with their cute little boyfriends. It's disgusting, I'm just looking forward to the fucking alcohol."

Jack couldn't help but smile just a little, she hadn't called him any names. "So Kasumi, how are we going to do this?"

She was tapping her foot and looking at her omni tool, "Hold on, we're still missing Tali. I hope she isn't backing out because of the dress. It was designed by Irit Non herself."

Zero rolled her eyes and seemed restless, "I'd have more respect for the sparky little thing if she didn't wear whatever it is. I highly doubt it's badass like you said mine was going to be."

Tali's nervous voice came behind them, "Sorry I'm late, I had to lock myself in the decontamination chamber to change and not get sick. How do I look..?"

They all turned to face her and Jack was more then a little impressed by the designer. Without having seen Tali in person, they had been able to make the perfect 'dress' for her. It was a standard environmental suit except large portions of the actual pink suit were cut away in exchange for the see through plastic. Her darker purple arms and legs were exposed as well as around her neck down to the top of her chest. She seemed extra nervous since she was bouncing up and down on her heels and she was playing with her hands. Jack had no idea why she would be so nervous for showing off, she was a beautiful woman. Garrus was staring with his mandibles bouncing against his face showing he was embarrassed.

Garrus shifted on one foot and only Jack could hear the tiny rumbling whisper, "Beautiful..." He coughed and tensed speaking aloud, "You look good but I mean I think I'm rocking the military uniform a lot better."

Tali stood next to him, "Do you have to be such a bosh'tet all the time? Your supposed to just stop after you look good."

Kasumi pulled up a map of what had to be Hock's estate and displayed it between all of them, "We're all here so let's go over what we're doing when we land. Shep, Vetra and I will focus on getting into the vault. The rest of you just need to be our eyes and ears at the party. For example, if security starts leaving the ballroom, I want to know about it. Otherwise, just pretend your their for the party and enjoy yourselves. I suggest pairing up though, the people inside won't hesitate to drug any of you and throw you over their shoulders if your not paying attention."

Garrus looked down in Tali's direction, "Maybe you could be Archangel's date to the ball? Prove he isn't always the brooding loner people think he is."

Tali laughed and tilted her head, "You haven't read the comic at all have you? All of Archangel's girlfriends get killed by that creepy jester character."

Garrus had a joking tone as he smiled at her, "Most of them yeah, but he does marry that feline thief lady remember?"

Tali elbowed his arm playfully, "The one that literally leaves him at the alter? And wait a minute...you just called me a thief! Your a racist bos-"

Joker interrupted them over the speaker, "We've just entered Bekenstein's atmosphere Commander and whaddya know, it's actually kind of a pretty place. We'll be dropping in thirty seconds."

Kal timidly walked towards Zero, "I guess that makes us the other pair, unless you just want me to stare at you across the room to make sure your ok?"

Zero groaned and glared at the wall, "If they're 'playing' being boyfriend and girlfriend I guess we can pretend your my adoptive father or something.."

Jack gave everyone a serious expression, "I just want to remind everyone that you might see or hear things at this party that you might be disgusted by. You cannot engage with these people or call them out understood? This mission depends on us getting in and out of the vault without any combat." When everyone nodded, he started heading towards the airlock, "Just keep your eyes open and be careful."

The door opened and Jack realized what Joker had meant. Bekenstein was a water world for as far as the eye could see on this clear day. The surface of the bright blue water was dotted with white marble specs on the horizon that Jack could only assume were estates similar to the one they had just landed on. There were three multi-cruiser landing pads surrounding the estate all full of exotic ships he was used to seeing on Omega. He had to wonder why this Donovan Hock would pay who knows how many credits for the landing pads when the estate itself didn't seem that big. Then again, Hock was a smuggler and might enjoy plenty of options for escape routes.

Even without having been shown a picture of Hock, he could instantly identify him at the front door. The Human had slick dark hair and a broad smile as he greeted guests and their gifts at the door. He was like a child at their graduation party and was selfish about the gifts he was receiving, no thank yous or pleasantries. Just a smile and a nod and being told to enjoy the party. He felt Vetra slow to a stop beside him and he wasn't sure why until he looked to the front of the line. Aria T'Loak herself was at the front of the line giving Hock some sort of box. With Vetra not in her disguise, Aria would easily recognize her as Mandaria. As far as Jack knew, the two women hadn't even communicated since the incident with Archangel. He was about to pull them off to the side to come up with a plan B but, Kasumi kept marching forward with the statue like nothing had changed.

Donovan turned away from Aria to look at the golden statue of Saren that Kasumi was pushing forward, "Well this is quite impressive, I know just where this will go in my vault."

Aria lingered next to him eyeing it up and down, "The browplates are not right, too thick and crooked."

Vetra stood stiffly and had a sarcastic tone, "It's not like the artist have the real thing to go off of anymore."

Hock looked between the two women and gave a strange laugh, "Oh, I had no idea you would both be here tonight. I only urge you both to not start fighting until after the auction."

Jack was put off balance when Aria gave Hock a smile, "I wouldn't dream of it, Omega needs more dancing girls. Especially Turian ones, we need the variety."

On the surface, Aria was telling the truth, she believed Omega and more specifically Afterlife needed more dancing girls. He remembered from his brief time in the club that Asari were the dominant employees, so maybe she did think they needed more variety. However, the way she was smiling at him and her tone were cold as ice. Hock was an absolute idiot if he couldn't tell that Aria hated his guts. She also wasn't making any comments about him and Kal being here despite obviously knowing exactly who they were. What was she really doing here? It wasn't to celebrate Donovan Hock and his criminal achievements that's for sure.

Vetra was shifting about seemingly more nervous than Tali was with a dress, "I didn't know you were a fan of Turians. Too many sharp edges."

Aria kept her arms folded and had a defensive stance overall, "When they're not jumping to conclusions because they listened to vigilantes they can have a soft center."

Donovan grabbed the statue and grinned in her direction, "I might have to come by Afterlife one of these days if you start getting other species."

One of his guards stopped him from bringing the statue inside, "Just one moment, sir. There seems to be an issue with the statue."

Knowing their armor and weapons were inside, Jack jumped in, "Is there a problem here? I paid good credits for that thing."

The guard glared at him with a hostile expression, "No, Mr. Gunn. Just doing a scan, which is my job."

Donovan jolted just now having noticed him after watching the back and forth between the women, "Ah Mr. Gunn, I'm sorry I don’t believe we’ve met. Donovan Hock. And who is your partner here?" He motioned to the rings on his and Kal's fingers.

Kal was struggling to come up with a fake name when Aria surprisingly interrupted him, "Hock I'm disappointed, I thought you'd recognize the Golo vas Nedas. He's only the best slaver my side of the Terminus."

Hock gave him an apologetic nod, "I'm so sorry, I was told you died several weeks ago."

Kal had a gruff tone trying an impression of Golo, "It's alright, rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

Jack did his best to smile, "It's an honor to meet you Mr. Hock. I've always tried to look up to you in my gang and ask myself, what would Donovan Hock do?"

Hock feigned a humble smirk when really it was clear he enjoyed having his ego stroked, "Hahaha, you are too kind. And I have heard a lot about you. You’ve been very busy lately, if the extranet is to be believed."

Aria grinned showing off her teeth and was staring directly at Garrus, "I can't vouch for Mr. Gunn here but, Archangel.. He did almost kill me, just because he listened to a Batarian hacker. How'd that turn out for you?"

Garrus stared right back at her, "Given the circumstances, I think it went pretty well thank you."

The guard was glaring at his omni tool as if it had done something to offend him, "Sir, the scanners aren’t picking anything up. It's like there's nothing there. I'd suggest we keep them out here while we check for a cloaking device."

Jack tensed trying not to worry about everything that was happening. It was bad enough that Aria was here to complicate things, but now there was a possibility they were going to have to try to break into the vault without weapons and armor. Sure, the original plan was to get in and out without firing a single shot, his plans never went smoothly though. He risked a subtle look in Kasumi's direction to see if this had been accounted for but, she was staying perfectly still and refused to look back. She must've assumed that he would be receiving too many gifts from all of the party members to scan each item. Kasumi had underestimated him but to be fair, he would've too if this was how Hock behaved in social circles.

Donovan started activating his own omni tool, "Hmm, that's strange. Let me check it myself to give Solomon here the benefit of the doubt."

Aria rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, "Oh come on now Donovan, I don’t think your guests would come all the way here from Illium just to cause trouble. Do you?"

Donovan sighed and gave the statue one last suspicious eye, "I suppose your right. You may pass through, Mr. Gunn. With my apologies, but I will ask that your Japanese companion to remain outside. You understand, I hope?"

Jack felt relieved they got inside without incident up until the moment Hock asked for Kasumi to stay outside. They could've reluctantly adapted to not having access to their weapons and armor but, not Kasumi. She was the whole reason they got the lead to be here, this was her plan. From Aria's uncomfortable and impatient expression, he was able to tell that she wasn't going to be able to get them out of this one. His first response was to threaten to leave with the statue but, the firey determined look in Hock's eye made it clear he would call Jack's bluff. That only left him with trying to argue the point as best he could without making Hock too angry.

He tried not to sound furious but at the same time knew Kasumi needed to be inside with them, "No, I don't understand. She slaved for hours creating the art and she should be recognized for it. What's the problem?"

Donovan seemed to get more angry and he raised his voice, "I don’t like the look of your 'friend,' so she stays outside. Simple as that."

Jack had a cold stare and pretended to threaten to slap her, "You heard him, get back on the ship slave, or I will whip you again!"

Kasumi was a great actress and appeared to shrink with a submissive tone, "Y...yes master, please don't hurt me."

As she started to run off Kal gave a fake laugh, "You'll have to excuse my partner here. He doesn't partially skin his slaves to keep them in line like I do."

Donovan readjusted his jacket looking flustered, "Yes well, it's good to see we’re not going to have a problem. Now let me take the rest of you inside so we can start enjoying the party."

Having no idea what else to do, Jack followed Hock into the estate. He wasn't a master thief, how was he going to be able to identify where this vault was, let alone knowing how to break into it? That question was going to have to wait for the time being as Jack absorbed his surroundings and just how afluent Hock was. The living room was massive with a water fountain in the center filled with jelly fish glowing brightly. The reflection of the glow gave the appearance of a lightshow on the raised ceilings. Directly behind the water fountain was a large dance floor filled with seemingly normal people. A bar with enough alcohol for an army was to his immediate left while a hallway went down to a locked door to his right. That had to be where the vault was right?

Kasumi's voice came to them in their ear pieces, "Well, that didn’t go as expected. Good job acting though Shep, you should go to improv school."

Vetra looked down at her feet and whispered as quietly as she could, "Kasumi, if he recognized you we're done and fucked. Do you think he knew who you were?"

Kasumi laughed and Jack heard the subtle echo somewhere to their left, "Do you honestly always worry about everything I do? No. We’ve never seen each other in person. And no one knows what I look like. He's just watching his ass, I’m sure. I can’t blame him."

Jack watched as Aria and Hock wandered over to the bar, "How are we going to play this now? I'm not you."

Kasumi regained her composure and had a serious tone, "We go on with the plan. You’ll just have to do all the talking. I’ll stay out of sight and stick with you the best I can. Look for anyway we can get to a basement and we're halfway there. We’ll keep radio contact in case something goes wrong."

Jack certainly didn't like it but, he had to play with the hand he was dealt. Somewhere below them right now were multiple teenagers about to be sold to the highest bidder. He had to find them before it was too late.


	43. Chapter 42: Cowardice Revealed, Lover's Wrath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my birthday is this coming Monday but, I'm celebrating over the weekend. Expect a few days off!

Jack and Vetra wandered around the living room while trying to look as normal as possible. The size of the room was truly impressive when an entire art exhibit could be featured along the back wall. Kasumi was adamant that there was someway into the basement, and thus the vault, somewhere in the living room but he wasn't seeing it. For the amount of pre-planning she did coming up with his alter ego, Kasumi didn't have the actual heist planned out at all. He had to wonder how Kasumi got the reputation of being the best thief in the galaxy when this mission was coming down to him winging it. On the plus side, Kal and Zero seemed to be talking again and enjoying sodas at the bar.

Vetra had an annoyed tone, "By the time we actually get to the vault the auction will have already started! What kind of blueprint did you get if it didn't even tell you where all the secret rooms are?"

Kasumi had a sarcastic response, "The kind that doesn't look longingly at the deadly pirate queen across the bar. Hock must've slightly changed designs since the last time I was here."

Vetra's browplates shot up and she spoke a little louder than she should, "I am not looking at anyone longingly! And you were here? When?!"

Since it appeared as though Vetra was talking to no one, Jack awkwardly laughed, "Your such a silly person Mandaria, you don't remember we were here two weeks ago during construction?" In a much lower voice he barked, "Both of you, cut the chatter. We need to focus on getting into that basement."

He had to admit that Aria being here was definitely a distraction for Vetra but, he understood it. She obviously had some regret for siding with Archangel and trying to kill Aria, and it wasn't just because he had ultimately been wrong. As crazy as it sounded in his own head, it was clear from the conversation they had outside, to the way Aria had acted in Afterlife that the two women had been close. He wasn't going to judge Vetra at all but, he was curious how such a relationship started. Especially when the first time they met had to of been in the wreckage on Torfan. Jack just hoped the Asari wouldn't get in their way if she was just here for the entertainment.

They walked around the corner of the art exhibit expecting to find a bathroom but instead, found a bookshelf and a fake fireplace. It was strange because the shelf was on wheels and had been moved from elsewhere. Why would Hock want to move his honestly impressive book collection away from everyone's sight? Jack assumed he was the type of guy to want to drag guests over to it and brag how he had read every book there was to see. The only reason it could be here along with the omni fireplace was that Hock was trying to hide something behind it. How were they going to move a shelf that was this big without attracting some sort of unwanted attention?

Vetra slammed both of her hands against the bookshelf causing several books to fall to the floor, "Spirits, I'm not asking for much and I know I've done the wrong thing consistently. Just, please help me find my sister in one piece."

Jack saw a red button become exposed from one of the books that fell, "Vetra, I think they're listening." He smiled at her and tilted his head towards the button.

Kasumi was visible again right behind them because they were behind the art exhibit, "Or, Donovan is just very lazy about where he keeps his obvious security. Either way, let's crack it open and see what's inside."

Jack's omni tool beeped and he glanced down at it, another update from Zaeed Massani. Normally, Jack would've opened it instantly to see how the hunt for Cora was going, but this mission was definitely more important. What could've possibly changed in the last hour besides the fact that he was still following her and the former N7? He appreciated The Illusive Man giving him a look behind the curtain so he knew the hunt wasn't just another lie but, this was going to get ridiculous fast. Jack told himself he would check it once they saved Sidera and were out of this mess.

Once Vetra pressed the button, the bookshelf lowered itself all the way to the floor revealing another door that was surprisingly unlocked. The three of them glanced around behind them quickly to make sure the other guests weren't looking in their direction before stepping inside. A short flight of stairs later and they had entered what had to be the basement. He was a little stunned by how lax Donovan really was with his security. Directly ahead of them was a large door that was made of palladium. There was an orange glow around it and what looked like a keypad sat to one side. If Kasumi had the code now, he doubted they were going to need their weapons and armor. Hock's security was going to be too slow and dumb to stop them.

Kasimi put a hand on her chin, "Very nice. There's more here than I expected. A voice lock creating a kinetic barrier. Looks like an EX-700 series, everything a vault needs to be impenetrable."

Vetra tapped one foot and sounded frustrated, "Tell me this isn't gonna be a problem?"

Kasumi laughed and gave her a grin, "Please, remember who your talking to. We'll need to get a voice sample for the voice lock. Shep will have to go chat up Hock for that."

Jack nodded and turned back towards the stairs, "I'll be right back, just make sure no one else comes in here while I'm gone."

He went back upstairs and he set the bookshelf back into place hoping it would ensure no one else found the place. Unfortunately, finding Hock was going to be difficult because the dance floor had turned into a rave. Criminals were jumping up and down and rubbing themselves all over each other. He assumed halex had to be involved since they were grabbing each other so boldly in public. Maybe they thought they were going to get caught, there was no other explanation for throwing caution to the wind quite like this. He was relieved to see Kal, Zero, Garrus, and Tali were sitting at the bar staring at the group.

Jack approached them quickly, "I need to know where Hock is. We need his voice to get into the vault."

Kal tilted his head towards the front door, "Greeting the guest of honor apparently. According to him, this party is for another pirate that's 'leaving' soon. Whatever that means."

Jack glanced at each of them individually, "Everybody doing ok?"

Garrus grumbled leaning on the barstool, "Maybe a tiny bit disappointed my date wouldn't go out there to dance with me but, we're fine otherwise."

Tali groaned and rolled her eyes, "For one, this is definitely not a date. Dates usually involve dinner, candles, and a movie. Secondly, that isn't dancing, that is fu..." She looked over at Zero, "I mean, rubbing together with your clothes on."

Zero rolled her eyes, "It's dry humping. Something I suggest the two of you do in a room, without us."

Jack tried not to chuckle amused by how blunt she was, "Just hang tight, with any luck we'll be out of this soon."

He reluctantly left the group and went back outside to where Hock was. At first, he was shocked to see Aria was still hanging around him like they were best friends. It was clear to literally everyone, besides Hock apparently, that the Asari wasn't interested in being his buddy. Then, he paled at seeing who his guest of honor was. Her pale skin gave her a youthful look which contrasted with the white hair that flopped to one side. Cora Harper was here, and had the nerve to smile at him over Donovan's shoulder like they were old friends. She was standing next to a LOKI mech on one side and Lantar Sidonis.

Garrus and Kal had been confident when they told him Sidonis had died on Omega and yet there he was standing there. His presence just brought about a million questions distracting Jack. Had Cora brought the Turian back in a similar way she had done for Saren? Even though he guessed it was potentially possible, it had taken her almost two years to bring Saren back and Lantar had only died a month ago tops. Liara's lead made more sense now at least, Lantar was the other member of Archangel that betrayed them and kidnapped Sidera. Why would he do that? Hadn't Garrus been one of his best friends since their CSEC days?

Donovan was stroking the LOKI mech, "This is absolutely incredible Cassandra! You didn't have to get me something this, it's your party afterall."

Cora playfully laughed and waved a dismissive hand, "I honestly don't need it anymore... Where I'm going, a mech is just extra weight. Now, are you going to tell me who your friend staring at me is?"

Donovan turned around and grinned, "Ah Mr. Gunn, good to see you. Solomon, I'd like you to meet Cassandra de Jongh. You may have heard of her work on Noveria with biotic children. And Cassandra, I have good news! Golo vas Nedas is alive and well! It seems he just ran off with Solomon here."

To her credit, Cora could've won an award for her acting, she smiled and even extended her hand towards him for a shake, "It's wonderful to finally meet you Solomon. I'd love to see Golo again, have a reunion between like minded people."

His instincts were telling him to grab the pistol he had concealed under his jacket and shoot her. She had kidnapped him off the original Normandy, froze him in a cryo pod for two years, tried to get Kal and Garrus killed in an elaborate scheme on Omega, and most importantly she helped the Collectors take entire Human colonies. The right thing to do was shoot her in the head and deal with the consequences after. If this was just for Kasumi he would've, but the real reason he was here was for Vetra and her sister. If he started shooting now, Sidera would likely be moved again and this time, there was no guarantee they would find another omni tool telling them where she went. He couldn't doom a teenagers life to slavery just because he wanted revenge.

He shook her hand doing his best to smile, "Golo told me a lot about your work on Omega."

She gave him a teasing smirk, "Hmm, I doubt that. Maybe you should ask him about the time we tortured another Quarian exile. It was really quite the night, turning a proud veteran of the Skillyian Blitz into a sobbing puddle of depression. I thought he was going to try and throw himself on the sword."

Jack knew she was testing him only for Hock to rub the back of his neck, "Yes well, maybe we should go inside for our speeches. You must have a busy schedule and I get nauseous around talk of violence."

Sidonis started turning around back towards the ship they came on, "I'll go back to the ship to make sure no one followed us."

Cora almost giggled and shook her head, "Lantar don't be silly, we're fine. And besides, from what I understand Archangel works with Solomon Gunn. It would be rude to not say hello to your old friends. Lead the way Hock."

Jack was the first one back in the door and gave Kal a serious expression. He could only pray it communicated his hope that Kal wouldn't act immediately when he saw Cora and Lantar. They were here for Vetra and Sidera, if this turned into a bloodbath now Sidera would probably be gone forever. Whatever happened to Sidera in slavery would be their fault if they couldn't just hold back until she was safe. Hock's speech was certainly going to have enough voice lines to unlock the vault. He watched as Kal gripped Zero's arm tightly as Cora appeared only to seemingly droop when Lantar stood next to her. Garrus broke the glass in his hand and started to move back to the Normandy only for Tali to stop him.

Donovan Hock motioned to stop the music and tapped his cup, "Attention everyone, I just wanted to say a few words..... In our line of work, we tend to attract a certain element. Few understand the pains we, as a group, take to keep the barbarians at bay. People these days want comfort, entertainment, love. They don't see that the galaxy is fragile. They only have to worry about simple luxuries. Why? Because people like me, and you, and everyone here tonight are doing the terrible things that keep the galaxy spinning. This party is for us! The cleaners. The support structure for the galaxy's gleeful delusions of peace. And most importantly, it is for my next guest that recognizes all of this. The one, the only, Cassandra de Jongh!"

Kasumi's voice came through his ear over the applause, "I said get him talking, and you got him talking. We've got a good enough of a voice sample. Get back down here and let's get out of here."

Jack gave Kal a sympathetic look and started moving as subtly as he could, "That's good because we need to get out of here yesterday."

_o0o_

Kal heard the applause but, it was a blur of white noise as he stared at Lantar. Erash's betrayal had hurt him but, it had made sense. He had just been trying to keep Kal safe and ultimately atone for his actions during the Blitz by getting him and Jack back together. Lantar on the other hand had no reason to work with Cora. He and Garrus had kept Lantar as safe as possible for as long as they could. He had even gotten captured and tortured just so Lantar could sneak away back to the base, and this is what he did with that chance? It was like a stab to the heart for him, they had bonded while keeping Garrus from killing himself and showing him there was a point to living. Kal couldn't even imagine what Garrus was feeling knowing they had been friends longer.

Zero got in his face and glared at him, "Let go of my arm right now so I can go kill that bitch!"

He used all of his strength to keep her right where she was, "Listen to me, we are in a room with about a hundred armed mercenaries. We aren't armored and only have pistols, that's suicide. So, before you do this I want you to ask yourself if you can watch me die."

She stared at him furiously but, at the same time she was relaxing just a little, "I...don't think this means anything, I don't want to die myself."

Cora waved her hands repeatedly to stop the applause, "Please everyone, please stop. You all are far too kind for my relatively minor contributions to this group of real, pure visionaries."

One of the criminals shouted from the back of the room, "You rock!"

She laughed and gave a seemingly genuine smile, "So do you Vido, so do you. Now, when Donovan approached me with a vision of his future, a future where the Alliance didn't control everything. A future where we would be free to live in the Terminus Systems, I laughed. I mean why on Earth would Aria let so many Humans like us live out here?"

Kal's attention was once again pulled away from the speech when a Human male sat on the stool beside him, "How's it going love bird?"

He didn't even have to look in that direction to know that was Arnold Vega talking to him. Could this evening honestly get any worse? The Alliance must've read Kasumi's submission to BadAss Weekly and sent a team to arrest him. Kal wasn't going to let that happen, he knew what Alliance prisons were like. Arnold would rather let Jack rot in a spice mine for something he wasn't responsible for. Was Arnold jealous of him deep down? Did he think Jack chose Cerberus for Kal rather than the Alliance for him?

Kal stared at Cora and was gently letting go of Zero's hand, "I've had a really osiky day if you must know."

Arnold pulled cuffs from his pocket, "I hate to tell ya, but it's about to get a lot worse. Tell me where he is right now and I won't arrest you too."

Kal decided to listen to Cora so he looked like he was weighing his options, "...and yet, here we are in the Terminus Systems. It took the blood, sweat, and tears of every single person in this room but, we made it happen. Which makes my announcement that I am leaving this club all the worse. Yes the rumors are true, I am leaving public life for a quiet life and greener pastures."

Arnold started playing with the cuffs, "I need an answer now buddy."

Cora continued and he noticed she was tearing up, "But, I want to leave you all with a few words of wisdom. 'Those who we keep closest to us can and tend to hurt us the worst.' My father who was a miner told me that and he was right. So, before I go forever, always remember those words. And if your afraid someone close to you will hurt you, move past them for a greener, brighter, more vibrant future!"

Kal made a fist behind his back and moved away from Zero, "Jack, I want you to forget everything I told you earlier and do your thing."

He could see her starting to glow blue and he threw a surprise punch at Vega's face.


	44. Chapter 43: A Secret Worth Dying For

Jack returned to the bookshelf as fast as he could ignoring Cora's long winded political speech. He felt like he was in the middle of a cult meeting where the people in it think far too highly of themselves. Did they not realize the Alliance wanted Humanity to thrive just as much as these people claimed they wanted it to? The difference was that the Alliance, mostly, saw the other races as potential allies and even friends. The battle for the Citadel should've highlighted that they were capable of extraordinary achievements when they all worked together. Cora, and Cerberus as a whole, believed that only Humanity should have the responsibility of protecting the galaxy. He was a little terrified by how many people in the audience clapped and ate up the rhetoric.

Vetra's mandibles clung close to her face when she saw him race down the stairs, "What's happening up there? You look worried."

Jack gave his omni tool to Kasumi so she could get Hock's audio, "Cora Harper just arrived, and is giving quite the speech to rally the troops."

Her eyes grew wide and she looked back up the stairs, "Shit! She didn't see you did she? What about Kal and Garrus?"

He tried to calm her down with a sympathetic glance, "I couldn't help it unfortunately, she's Hock's guest of honor. She definitely knew we're all here, probably the BadAss Weekly article."

Jack knew he should've mentioned Lantar Sidonis was with Cora and was probably the one to kidnap Sidera but, right now that was risky. Just dropping Cora's name was enough to make Vetra shake. He needed her focused on getting in and out of the vault with her sister, not thinking about doing something unpredictable. If he had to guess, Garrus and Kal would take care of it if they got the opportunity even though Cora obviously wanted a confrontation before she disappeared for good. He doubted she was actually going to retire but, she may try to lie low while bounty hunters and the Collectors were after her. Hopefully, Tali would be able to keep them in line for awhile at least.

Vetra marched towards Kasumi and shoved her into a wall, "You knew didn't you?! You knew Hock's party wasn't going to be for Hock himself! How dare you put me, Garrus, and Kal in this position?! Is my sister even in the vault? Or did you just use all of us so you could be with your dead boyfriend again....? HUH?! ANSWER ME!"

Kasumi was struggling against Vetra's stronger, taller Turian grip, "I knew, but we didn't have a choice! If we had spent three hours arguing about not going, the party would've been over and your sister would've been sold off. You have to let me go so I can unlock the door."

When Vetra didn't let go, Jack started pulling her back, "Mand, I need you to listen to me now. Yes she lied, and yes it put us in a tight spot but, we are so close now. We can beat her up after we get you and your sister out of here to someplace safe."

Vetra nodded and reluctantly let her go, "I swear, if this was all just a setup I'll kill you first."

Kasumi rolled her eyes and walked to the keypad, "No need to be so dramatic, when have I ever actually let you down?"

She played a short clip of Hock speaking only for a synthetic voice to respond, "Welcome Mr. Hock, password required."

The color in his cheeks must've drained from his face with those words. It seemed obvious now that just getting a random clip of Hock talking wasn't going to cut it but, he hadn't been thinking. The problem was that he couldn't just go back upstairs and ask him what his password was, going back and forth was already suspicious. Even if Jack could find Hock's personal quarters and miraculously find the password, they didn't have that kind of time. Cora's speech was going to be over soon and Jack only saw two possible endings. She would either provoke one of his other team members to the point that all hell broke loose, or the auction would go on as planned. Both options left Vetra and her sister apart for decades at the very least, even though right now they were only separated by a doorway.

Vetra cleared her throat and stared at the ceiling, "Well...I guess right this second is a good a place as any to start."

Kasumi held up a finger, "Don't give up just yet. I can hack the controls to make another password."

Donovan's voice made the three of them draw their weapons and spin around, "Peruggia."

Aria T'Loak was standing in the doorway holding up her activated omni tool and looked angry. She must've been watching Jack go back and forth from the bookshelf to follow him down here. The real question though was what was her motivation to come at all? Her conversation with Vetra and Garrus earlier made it seem like she was still bitter about what happened on Omega so, he doubted it was to help them. At the same time though, Aria seemed to hate Hock's guts so she obviously wasn't here to help them get caught. Jack just assumed there was something in the vault that Aria wanted and she decided working with them helped her more than getting into a competition.

The synthetic voice behind them broke the tense silence, "Password accepted, welcome to your vault Donovan."

Kasumi relaxed first and headed towards the opening door, "The man to steal the Mona Lisa. Hock's got nice tastes."

Vetra was still pretty tense as she stared at Aria, "What are you doing here? Really? Because the Aria I know hated slave traders and didn't participate in auctioning anyone."

Aria ignored her and followed Kasumi, "I'm here to show everyone up there what happens when they break my one rule. Hock thought he could sell a relative of one of my top advisors from right under my nose and get away with it. He's about to learn how wrong he is. And I was sick of watching amateur hour. If it wasn't for me, you three would be stuck outside right now."

Kasumi scoffed while holding the elevator door open, "Amateur hour would've been us showing up without any plan at all. This was just a combination of not having a lot of time to plan for specifics and Hock changing his security."

Jack followed the other two women into the vault elevator with Vetra right behind him, "We appreciate it. Let's get Sid out of here."

Vetra shuffled around from foot to foot staring at Aria, "I'm sorry.. For everything."

Aria kept her gaze straight ahead, "I don't want to talk about it." She tapped the down button a few more times, "Does this thing not go any faster?"

Vetra timidly put her hand on the back of Aria's shoulder, "Too bad because I do. I...I-"

Unfortunately, Vetra was interrupted when a large boom shook the elevator and the lights went out. Jack had been expecting Kal and Garrus to attack eventually but, he assumed they would wait until after he confirmed they had Sidera. Maybe Cora had said something that provoked one of them, or she attacked first. Thinking about it though, Jack realized neither one of them had the firepower in their undercover disguises to cause that kind of explosion. It was possible Cora had attacked all of them but, it was more likely a third party had entered the fray and was causing trouble. Maybe Zaeed was here to collect his bounty.

EDI was in his ear, "Shepard, multiple Alliance shuttles have arrived and are firing on the Normandy. They seem intent on killing us."

Jack wanted to punch something, this was the nightmare scenario playing out before his eyes. Feron had warned them that the Alliance was going to come after him but, he didn't think they would be looking in BadAss Weekly for him. Ashley and Arnold must've really wanted his head if they were willing to come into Terminus Space to get him. Wait a minute, what was the Alliance thinking?! Had they really just broken the Treaty of Torfan? With Aria actually here, that almost guaranteed another war between the Alliance and the full might of the Terminus. Who would've been stupid enough to make that decision? The AIA probably. Jack guessed that if they honestly believed he was working with the Collectors, stopping him was a calculated risk.

He tried to comm the others but they were being jammed, "EDI do not return fire, do you hear me? Get the others on the ship and move around to pick us up by the vault."

EDI replied, "Affirmative, though the ground team might not have much choice. I'm already detecting a firefight inside the estate."

Kasumi leaned towards his arm, "Try and get the elevator moving if you can. Otherwise we're stuck in here."

Jack was relieved when EDI answered, "Working as fast as I can. It may be several moments before I can integrate with Mr. Hock's software."

Aria was on her omni tool as well and was somehow getting past the jam, "Light em up Bray. You have permission to engage, make sure they regret this."

Vetra gave her a terrified glance, "No, don't do this, don't start a war. You can leave right now and not have to be a part of this."

Aria glared at her, "I'm not starting anything, the Alliance did when they entered my territory and started shooting. I'm not just going to lay down to give you a better conscience."

He knew he couldn't stop her no matter what he wanted. First of all, she was right, the Alliance had shot first. The shooting wasn't at her specifically but, it wasn't hard to imagine the Alliance not minding Aria getting killed in collateral damage. Jack could point his pistol at her and order her to stop this, he just knew that wouldn't achieve anything. If the Alliance was willing to go this far, they meant it and may have been ready to go for the kill. His options were to turn himself in right now to prevent a war, only to let Sovereign kill everyone, or continue the fight against the Collectors. Millions were going to die if he let this war begin, but trillions more would die if he surrendered now. Jack hated thinking in terms of raw numbers and not the people involved but, he had to keep going until the Reapers were destroyed.

Vetra's eyes widened and her voice grew higher in pitch, "Me?! Your the one ordering people to start shooting! Don't you dare blame this on me!"

Aria stormed forward getting directly in her face, "And why do you think I'm here right now? Believe me, I'd much rather just sit on my couch, have a glass of wine, and forget you ever existed! But I can't so here we fucking are!"

Jack put himself between them as fast as he could, "That is uncalled for Aria, Vetra didn't ask for this and you know it-"

Aria interrupted him staring at her, "So it's Vetra now? I see you want to forget Omega ever happened and just move on with your life."

Vetra's voice cracked like she was going to start crying, "You put a bounty on my head to get me killed! What was I supposed to do? Just keep running around as me and hope for the best? You know how that would go..."

The door opened and Kasumi walked through it, "Let's get what we came for before you two have make up sex shall we?"

Saying the vault was impressive didn't really do it justice. All sorts of paintings hung on the walls from seemingly every era imaginable and he also recognized several marble statues from Earth. He rushed to the statue of Saren first and got their weapons and armor from it. They were going to have to fight their way out of here after all, just from the Alliance instead of Hock's security. He quickly stripped down to his under suit to put on his palladium armor, letting the others look around. He just had to hope this was worth it, otherwise he helped start a war for nothing.

Vetra just started yelling, "Sid?! Sidera are you in here?! Talk to me!"

Aria pointed to a large crate, "She's probably in there. Looks like a shipping container from offworld."

Vetra ran towards it with her pistol drawn, "Sid?! If your awake I need you to move as far back from the lock as you can. I'm coming in."

She waited just a few seconds before shooting the lock and kicking the door down. Jack watched as she ran inside the large crate only to emerge carrying a potentially unconscious Turian teenage girl. His gut twisted in knots when Vetra urgently put her back on the ground and was patting her mandible repeatedly. She was begging for Sid to wake up and tears were streaming down her face. When the girl didn't immediately answer, Vetra silently rested her head on Sids and was shaking. He rushed to her side to see Sidera was naked from head to toe and marks of ownership had been branded onto her plates.

Jack took a sigh of relief when he scanned her with his omni tool, "Mand, Mand look! She's alive, just drugged up to sleep."

Vetra let out a tiny sob at the heartbeat and picked Sidera back up, "Oh Spirits, thank you.. I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

He smiled before calling the Normandy, "EDI, tell Chakwas to get the medbay ready. We have an unconscious Turian here with unknown injuries. How far away are you?" 

EDI lit up his tool with her orb representation, "Feron estimated he would be back with the rest of the crew within two minutes. If that assessment holds, we should arrive at your location within three. I suggest blowing a hole in the wall I highlighted on the blueprint for the quickest extraction."

Aria nodded and started walking in that direction, "I'll handle the wall, you make sure our thief friend takes the virtual reality goggles off and is ready to go."

He was confused about what she meant until he saw Kasumi. She was standing in the middle of the room seemingly talking to a statue of a naked man but, her eyes were covered with glowing blue glasses. That had to be the graybox, she couldn't just wait until after they left to open it? Jack understood it was Kasumi's significant other inside but, they had just started a war. It was hard not to feel extremely frustrated though because if the situation was reversed, he would've wanted to say goodbye to Kal if they hadn't gotten an actual opportunity to as soon as possible. Unfortunately, they had to get out of here before the Alliance sunk the estate or physically got down here.

Jack was about to say something when he could hear a male voice coming from her glasses, "Kasumi. If you’re seeing this, it’s because I’m dead. The information we found is all here. You know how big it is Kasumi. If the Council ever got wind of this... the Alliance could be implicated. Which is why I had to let Hock kill me. Kasumi, I... I encrypted the information to keep it safe. And I uploaded the encryption key to your graybox, so no one besides you could get the whole package. It includes two tickets for the Nexus, I want you to use them and get out with the Initiative. The only way they won't want to kill you too is if you join them. But if I’m dead... then I’ve made you a target, my love. I’m so, so sorry. I just knew we wouldn't survive anymore here, you can still have a good life. It'll just have to be without me...."

Kasumi moved her hand to cup an invisible cheek, "Keiji..."

Keiji kept talking like he hadn't heard her, "I know you, Kasumi. You’ll want to keep these memories forever. But you don’t need some neural implant to know I’ll always be with you. Just take the tickets and destroy the graybox. Promise me."

A sudden hail of gunfire from the elevator made Jack grab Kasumi's arm and pull them both into cover. He heard Vetra scream from behind him and saw two bullets had hit Sid in the side. Blue blood started gushing out of her as Vetra desperately carried her to a safe spot behind several statues. Out of pure instinct, Jack drew his assault rifle and started returning fire to cover her retreat. He instantly felt a pang of regret as he realized he just killed a few Alliance soldiers. Ashley was leading them and dashed to cover barking orders to the survivors. Well, now he could add actual murder to the list of growing criminal charges.

Ashley yelled over the noise, "I knew you were working with Cerberus, but I had no idea how deep it went. Letting them kidnap people for experiments? Killing Alliance soldiers? How dare you betray us like that?"

Jack fired a few shots that intentionally missed but not by much to keep the soldiers where they were, "How could you even say that Williams?! You were on Horizon for god sakes!"

She shot an entire clip at his cover making him scramble to the next statue, "Yeah I was but you know what I just found out? Cerberus and the Collectors are working together. And after Torfan, I don't doubt you'd work with them too if you thought Kal's life was in danger."

Jack had no choice but to return fire to keep Vetra and Sidera safe, "The entire galaxy is a lot different than the crew of the Einstein. I regret it every day, do you honestly think I'd do it again? Think for one minute Williams."

Ashley just kept advancing and firing at them, "I am, and what I'm seeing tells me you are going to have to be put down."

He didn't want to have to kill her, she had been part of his crew. However, if the Normandy didn't get here soon, he was going to have to. It was clear she had no intention of letting him surrender to let the others go. This was personal for her now.


	45. Chapter 44: Blink of an Eye

Tali had actually kind of been enjoying the evening with Garrus. Even though they were just pretending to be a couple, she could tell he was actually this funny and charming when he wanted to be. Garrus was definitely easier to talk to than the Quarian men her father had arranged for her to meet on the Rayya. All military minded bosh'tets with absolutely no sense of humor. He may have been taking it personally when she called him a racist but, the amount of times he called her a thief made Tali feel like he was in on the joke. It was a shame he wasn't a Quarian, Tali would never tell him this but, he was the type of guy she'd bring home. She also had to remind herself that, as far as she knew, he was still with Chloe Michel. That wouldn't stop her from innocently teasing him over the nerdy things they had in common. Unfortunately, he quickly changed as soon as the Human's guest of honor appeared.

At first, Tali didn't understand why he had broken the glass of soda he was holding onto. Sure, the woman was pretty Tali guessed but, that was no reason for Garrus to react quite that way. Then she recognized the Turian she had with her as the nurse who took care of Kal after Virmire. If her memory served, he had also been friends with Garrus in CSEC prior to joining the Normandy. The revelation only made Tali confused, why would he get angry over seeing an old friend? That was until she heard the name of the woman he was with from Hock. Cassandra de Jongh had been experimenting on children, including Zero, to enhance their biotic abilities. The question became why would one of Garrus' old friends work for someone like her?

Kal didn't seem to be doing any better on her other side squeezing Zero's arm as they quietly argued. Did both of them not remember Jack telling them to keep calm and not start attacking? Cassandra was definitely spouting thinly veiled xenophobic propaganda but, that was nothing new for a Quarian to have to deal with. If she hadn't met Nihlus in the Zakea Ward, she would've died from no one thinking she was worth saving on the Citadel. Then she saw a Human on Kal's other side playing with handcuffs. She knew that look, he wanted to arrest Kal, or worse right now. Tali also started noticing several of the supposed party goers reaching for items up their sleeves. If she was on the Citadel, Tali would've been suspicious this was a CSEC setup to arrest her.

She was reaching for her omni tool to warn Shepard when she heard Kal say, "Jack, I want you to forget everything I told you earlier and do your thing."

In the blink of an eye, Zero warped in Cassandra's direction to start attacking her while Kal punched the Human next to him. Instantly the suspicious party goers stripped their fancy outfits off to reveal slim Alliance branded armor and started shooting at everyone in the crowd by the dance floor. She thought it was going to be an immediate bloodbath but, given the fact that all of Hock's guests were criminals and murderers themselves, they started returning fire and dashing for cover. Tali realized her omni communications were being jammed and so instead, pulled out her pistol and started shooting at the criminals. They were technically on the Alliance's side in this fight and she wanted to show them that. It was a surprise then when Garrus tackled her over the bar table to avoid gunfire.

Garrus yelled over the noise and stared at her, "What the hell do you think your doing?"

Tali wished he could see the glare she was giving him, "Helping the Alliance, because they're the good guys you know. What are you doing?"

Garrus pulled out his own pistol and fired at one of the Alliance troops over the table, "We're dressed up like criminals Tali. If mercs see us shooting at them they'll shoot back. The Alliance won't know we're good and shoot us anyways."

Tali yanked him back down into cover before he could shoot again, "Are you being serious right now?! We can't kill these soldiers. They're innocent just sweeping out a crime syndicate."

Garrus was about to reply when Cassandra came flying at the bar from one of Zero's biotic attacks. The Turian moved to shoot her in the head but, she was faster sending him flying backwards towards the door outside. A moment later Zero was on top of Cassandra and trying to strangle her to death. Despite being smaller and younger, Zero was staying on top of her with superior biotic ability. The problem was, that left them both exposed on top of the table and Alliance soldiers were turning to shoot at both of them. Tali regretfully killed them with her own pistol before they could take a shot. It felt wrong killing members of the Human military force but, they weren't giving her a lot of options.

Cassandra finally kicked Zero off and down to the ground before looking towards the front door, "Oh shit! Everyone get down!"

Tali assumed it was a ploy until the explosions started outside on the docks. Alliance fighters were strafing above the three docking pads of the estate trying to destroy any ship that would be an escape route, including the Normandy. Having just worked on the drive core, Tali knew the ship's shields could withstand a bombardment but, not forever. They needed to get out of here as soon as possible, the Alliance fighters could accidentally send the estate into the ocean with one missed shot. Cassandra ignored Tali running towards her ship with Zero warping after her. The two quickly tumbled down the stairs outside to the docks before disappearing behind one of the other ships.

She was about to start running back to the Normandy when suddenly, more Alliance forces were bursting through the ceiling and started shooting into the crowd. Did they not realize the person they should've been going after was outside and actively trying to escape? Tali felt a little hope when she saw Ashley Williams was the soldier leading the Alliance team. She had been a little racist back on the original Normandy but, she was still rational enough to work with them to defeat Saren. If Tali could get to her, she was sure she could explain to Williams what was going on here and they'd stop shooting at them. Her hopes were crushed instantly as Ashley made eye contact with her only to start shooting directly at her. Had she not recognized her? Regardless, Tali just started running in the other direction to avoid the shots.

Garrus grabbed her arm from the outside of the doorway for cover, "Are you alright?"

Tali glanced down at her dress suit looking for wounds, "This kriffing suit doesn't have diagnostics so I don't know but, I think I'm ok."

Garrus fired a few shots around the corner, seemingly forcing Ashley to retreat towards the art exhibit, "Get back to the Normandy, I have to go back inside and find Sidonis."

Tali shook her head aggressively, "This whole estate could come crashing down around our ears into the ocean, we need to find Kal, Zero, and Jack then go!"

Garrus gave her a cold look even though he was conflicted, "He helped get the rest of my team killed. You don't think he deserves to pay for that?"

Tali fired at a mercenary running towards his ship to get away, "I just think we have a lot of other things to worry about right now. You can go after Sidonis later, like when everyone else is safe."

Garrus shook his head while peaking around the corner, "Go look for them all you want, but it won't change my mind."

She was concerned from the cold harshness in his voice. Tali had definitely seen Saren this irrationally angry on the Citadel but, he had been under the effects of indoctrination at the time. Garrus was apparently willing to let his friends fend for themselves in the middle of a warzone just so he could have revenge. It was extremely petty for the CSEC officer she used to know but, it had been two years and a lot could change in that time. The fastest thing to do would've been to let him go and look for Kal, Zero, and Shepard on her own. However, she wanted the help since this 'dress' suit wouldn't notify her of a breach.

Tali pulled him back to the cover, "Garrus, are you listening to me? This building could collapse into the ocean any second now and Jack's still inside. We have to go! This isn't like you."

Garrus shoved her, albeit gently, away from his shoulder, "He deserves to die for the lives he's taken! Who's going to bring Sidonis to justice if I don't? Nobody else knows what he's done. Nobody else will! You go find the others, I have to end this, for me."

It was incredibly selfish and stupid, meaning Garrus rolled around the corner going back inside to find Sidonis. Tali wanted to smack him over the head with her shotgun but, that would have to wait. She had to find the others before it was too late, and she'd start with Zero since the two women had rolled out here to begin with. After sprinting across the open front doorway to the ship Cassandra and Zero rolled behind, she was stunned to see the younger teen clinging to her head and groaning. Her first assumption was that Cassandra had just hit her head hard, after a closer look though Tali realized there was more to it. A small circular device was attached to Zero's shoulder and zapping her whenever she tried to muster up any biotics. She tugged it off only to have to duck out of the way from a warp.

She turned her head towards the right to see Feron and Cassandra trading blows. Cassandra was surprisingly good at keeping up with the Drell, bouncing and weaving around his strikes only to deliver her own. Tali wanted to get involved and shoot at her but, the two of them were moving around each other with biotics so fast that she was afraid she'd hit Feron or herself. The sound of an Alliance fighter screamed across the sky just before the missile strike landed all around them. It caused the ground below Feron's feet to fall out from under him forcing Tali to leap to catch his arm.

A fire separated them from Cassandra and she blew them a kiss, "It was a good effort Feron. Cerberus thanks you for your service."

_o0o_

Kal had potentially underestimated just how good of a hand-to-hand fighter Vega was. Whenever Kal tried to swing low, Arnold would take a step back and go high. If he tried to protect his helmet, Vega would be free to send a powerful kick or punch to his gut. That wasn't to say he didn't get any hits in, unlike the Cerberus Phantoms, Vega was a lot sloppier. He gave plenty of openings for Kal to hit back with his fists as well as bottles from the bar. The problem was that Arnold took each hit a lot better than Kal. It was probably because the Human had armor on that injected him with medi gel, while Kal was wearing the Quarian equivalent of a tuxedo. Knowing the problem didn't exactly help Kal though in the middle of a fight.

Arnold threw a chair that Kal had to side step, "How could you even think about protecting him?! He's having people kidnapped by the Collectors! Innocent people."

He pulled his pistol out from it's holster hoping he could get enough distance to take a non lethal shot, "Because that's not what he's doing you bosh'tet! If you actually want to stop the Collectors, you should be attacking Cora Harper!"

Arnold used his larger size to charge forward and pin Kal against the bar, "We know all about Cora, but she's just an accessory. Jack was calling all the shots, we have evidence."

Kal grunted in pain from his back hitting the wall only to use the back of his pistol as a club to Arnold's head, "I go to the same bed as him every night. I think I'd know if he was-"

The Human interrupted him by picking him up and slamming him into the bar table. Saying they slept together had obviously hit a nerve, Arnold was jealous. Which was strange because their brief encounter on the Normandy had been fine. Some other reason for the anger had to be on top of the jealousy for this attack to make any sense. Kal didn't want to have to kill him, he was Jack's ex for one, and he was part of the Alliance military. Killing him would've gotten Jack in even more trouble. At the same time though, Arnold was clearly seeing red and wanted to kill him. He was going to have to take the gloves off soon if Arnold couldn't be reasoned with. It was a last resort kind of option but, that was coming on him fast.

Arnold's fist slammed into Kal's chest almost instantly after his back hit the table, he was trying to force Kal to have a heart attack, "Can't you see he's doing it for you?! How many people have to disappear for you to stop this?!"

Kal blocked the next fist and used his knee to kick Arnold's temple, "We are trying to stop this every damn day! We're the only ones actually investigating what's happening you bosh'tet!"

He rolled off the table to get some space only for Arnold to leap after him, "Tell that to my brother! The evidence shows Shepard helped the Collectors take the colony he was stationed at!"

A lightbulb went off in Kal's mind from that revelation. This wasn't about jealousy, it was fury over the Collectors taking Arnold's brother. Cora must've somehow created evidence showing Jack was involved with a Collector kidnapping that resulted in Arnold's brother disappearing. While he was sure the evidence was plausible enough for the Alliance to act on it, Kal knew it was a fake. Jack had been with him every night on the Normandy and was fighting the Collectors. Unfortunately, it was going to be hard for Kal to convince him otherwise when family was related. Kal felt terrible for him having been on the Collector dreadnought and seeing all the pods for Humans but, he had to get out of here.

He was about to say something when he heard and felt bullets from behind him clipping his shoulder. It was a risk to turn around and take his eyes off Arnold, he had to though if he didn't want a shot to the back of the head. Donovan Hock had picked up an assault rifle and started shooting at him realizing he wasn't Golo. Kal quickly killed him with a clean headshot only for Arnold to grab him by his oxygen tubing and tossed him outside the front door. This was why he should always wear a hood, Kal reminded himself, it was a lot harder to suffocate him when the tubes weren't in clear view. A missile strike barely missed him as he rolled down the stairs.

In the distance, Kal could see Tali, Feron, and Zero but they were all busy. He could also see Cora walking confidently back towards her ship knowing she was going to get away without a scratch. Before he could lift an arm to shoot at her, Arnold had jumped on top of his spine to keep him down. One hand grabbed and squeezed his oxygen tube while the other covered his mouthpiece to prevent it from opening. It was like breathing into a plastic bag, he was being suffocated quickly and he couldn't move his arm. He could see Zero looking back and forth between the two of them and Cora, she had to make a decision about who to go after. Cora, the woman who had tortured her for her entire life or, Kal. He fully expected she would go after Cora but, with one last glance she charged with a biotic pulse at Vega.

He took a gulp of real air again and Zero offered him her hand, "Come on, let's get off this damn rock asshole."

Kal grabbed her hand and got himself up with a smile, "Thank you Jack, I mean it." She didn't have to save him but, she did.

Zero didn't really smile but motioned to the Normandy, "I can't have you make it up to me if we don't get out of here."

Garrus came running from behind them, "We gotta move! Go, go, go!" 

Kal looked behind him and then at Garrus, "What about Jack and Mand?"

EDI's voice filled his ears, "Shepard, Kasumi, and Nyx are waiting for the Normandy to get close enough to the vault for extraction. I suggest you hurry."

The three of them started running and Kal noticed Feron was with Tali at the airlock of the Normandy. It was unfortunate that Cora had gotten away but, they could go after her later. At least they were going to get Jack and get out of here. He only hoped that Jack and Vetra had been able to get Sidera in the small amount of time they had at the vault. He would feel rather crushed for her if they went to all this trouble only to be stopped because the Alliance interrupted them. Even though she had genuinely seemed surprised, Kal had to wonder if Cora had orchestrated this evening to be absolute chaos. She had been awfully smug with herself as she was leaving the scene.

They were mere inches from getting onto the Normandy when the bullets started flying. Arnold must've gotten back up and started shooting at them. Kal was going to ignore it since they were so close but, Zero stumbled and started to fall. The hail of bullets sprayed her ankles and legs making her trip and fall with a roll. Instinct took over and Kal whipped around to take a few shots, it was supposed to just give him enough cover time to drag her the rest of the way onto the ship. His gut twisted in knots when the bullet he fired went straight between Arnold's eyes. He hadn't been intentionally aiming when he whipped around and started shooting. However, it was clear from the wound and the way that Vega collapsed to the ground that he had killed him.

Kal picked up a whimpering Zero and carried her back in the Normandy, "I got you baby, I got you. Shhhh." His head snapped towards the cockpit, "Joker, get Jack and get us out of here!"


	46. Chapter 45: Two Kinds of Pain

Jack had officially run out of ammo now in his back and forth with Ashley. The two of them had shot the entire vault to pieces until there was almost nothing left to hide behind, and the Normandy still hadn't arrived yet. What was taking Feron so long getting the rest of the crew back on the ship? Hopefully Garrus and Kal saw the bigger picture and were willing to let Sidonis go. They were waiting on the Normandy so they could get out of there. He was starting to panic over having to fight Ashley without any weapons but, a second explosion from above them shook the floor and made the lights go out all around them. It was clear Ashley didn't have any sort of night vision because the five of them were able to hide from her flashlight and not get shot.

While Ashley was slowly scanning around the large vault, Jack could see Vetra and Kasumi were doing their best to patch Sidera's wounds with all the medi gel they had. He was grateful for how quiet they were being so he wouldn't have to fight Ashley in the dark. Jack knew the only way that ended was with him killing her because she wasn't giving him another choice. Whatever evidence the Alliance had linking him to the Collector attacks had to be pretty damn convincing if they were willing to start a war with Aria. Maybe Cora had manipulated audio files to get him to say something or, she hired a person who looked like him for a video feed. Whichever option it was, Jack saw defeating the Collectors as the only way to clear his name.

Ashley fired a few random shots in the wrong direction before spinning around searching for them, "You know, looking back I hate myself for actually thinking you were a good Commander! You were always putting the non-Human crew members ahead of the rest of the crew, not following Alliance protocol... I should've known this is how it would turn out."

He raised his voice so the noise would echo around the room, "Listen to what your saying Williams, I hate Humans so I'm working with Cerberus? It's ridiculous and you know it."

She fired closer to where they were, "Not if they were blackmailing you! You were willing to blow up an Alliance ship full of evacuating slaves and your mother just for one person. Someone like that sure as hell would be willing to sell out the rest of their race for the same guy. It's sickening!"

The two situations were completely different in Jack's eyes but, he understood where she was coming from. He had indeed fired the weapon on Torfan just to save Kal but, it wasn't something he was proud of. Why would he ever want to do that again on a galactic scale? His relationship with Kal wouldn't survive if they were dead and the Reapers returned. Jack guessed Ashley was merely comparing his arguments to some of the things Saren told them on the hunt. From her perspective you could've swapped Kal for Garrus and the motivation would've been the same for him and Saren. The difference was that wasn't happening here and he wasn't indoctrinated.

A sudden yell from behind him made his gut tense, "AHHH, please, please don't hurt me! AHHHHH, I'll be a good girl I swear!"

Vetra tried to calm her down but the damage had been done. Sid had woken up and was screaming because of the bullet wounds from his firefight with Ashley. Jack knew she was smart enough to follow the noise so, he only had one option, turn himself in. Since the Normandy still wasn't picking them up, Ashley would want to detain all of them. Once the Alliance realized who Vetra really was, they would lock her away forever. That would leave an already damaged Sidera without any kind of parent and she'd go into the foster system. He didn't want either of the Turians to have to go through that, it's what she would do for him. Besides, with the Normandy nowhere in sight, Jack didn't have another good option.

Jack held his hands up and quickly stepped into the flashlight's spotlight so she wouldn't see the others, "Alright, you got me. I'll come with you on one condition, you let the others go."

Ashley tilted her head moving the light towards Vetra and Sid, Kasumi was curiously absent, "What the hell is the this Shepard?"

Jack took a deep breath, "This is just a girl who's been in a bad place. Your going to let her and her sister go get medical treatment without taking them into custody."

EDI's voice seemingly whispered in his ear, "Shepard, we will be at your location in five seconds. Stall for as long as possible."

Ashley gripped her rifle tighter approaching him, "I heard a voice Shepard, whatever your thinking about doing, I suggest you stand down. Now!"

He was about to respond when a floating piece of marble hit her on the back of the head and Kasumi appeared, "Not really sorry about that, you seem like such a hard ass so I thought you deserved a nap."

He relaxed his arms with a frown looking down at her unconscious form for a few seconds. Jack couldn't help but feel sorry for her knowing she thought she was so close to saving Humanity. Instead, all Ashley and Vega had accomplished was pissing off Aria T'Loak to the point that she started a war. It was hard for him to know whether or not Alliance command had approved the nature of the strike but, Jack knew there was no taking it back now. No amount of diplomatic maneuvering on Udina's part could just make this go away quietly. The Alliance had spilled blood in the Terminus breaking the Treaty of Torfan.

Aria was moving away from the bomb she just planted, "I suggest everyone get out of the blast zone."

Vetra covered Sid's ears and held her face close until the explosion went off, "I know it's scary right now but I'm here and I'm not letting anyone hurt you ever again." She picked her up and looked over at Aria, "Come with us out of here at least."

The Asari shook her head, "I have my own ride up on the docks... I hope we don't see each other again. I've got a reputation to keep."

Vetra clearly looked heartbroken but was trying to hide it for Sid's benefit, "Yeah, me too."

Aria started marching towards the elevator, "Take care of yourself Shepard."

The Normandy swooped around the to the hole in the vault and the three of them went inside. Vetra and Kasumi headed towards the elevator to the medbay while Kal was standing in the airlock waiting for him. Jack could see the plastic arms of his fancy suit were covered in Human blood and some glowing Quarian blood dribbled down from his shoulder. The way Kal was just sort of standing there obviously numb made it abundantly clear something was wrong. After just a few seconds, they threw their arms around the other and squeezed gently. Jack had no idea this mission was going to be so dangerous, it was supposed to be just a simple heist. Sure, it had technically been successful but, at what cost?

He held Kal close, looking into his eyes through the helmet, "Is she ok...?"

Kal was shaking lightly and just squeezed him tighter, "S...probably. Her legs were shredded Jack, I've never heard anyone scream like that before. Keelah, it made me so sick knowing I couldn't make the pain go away.. She was begging me to make it go away. Fuck....."

Jack cupped the side of his helmet, "I know, we have to be strong for her right now though. Go get cleaned up, I'll stay with her."

Kal didn't move for a few moments looking down at his feet, "Jack... I killed Arnold. He was shooting at Zero and I just started shooting back."

The news hit him hard, not because he still had feelings for him, but because he knew what this would do to Kal. He would probably see it as his fault even though it already sounded as though it was self defense. There was also the possibility Kal would be worried Jack would assume he did it out of jealousy. Jack knew Kal better than that but with that in mind, he knew that was the kind of thing the Quarian would feel. Either way, Kal was going to carry this around with him for a long time, and if the Alliance could somehow link it back to him, they would do everything they could to arrest him too.

Jack held him as close as physically possible and made Kal look in his eyes, "You did what you had to do to protect yourself and Zero. I would've done the same thing and you know it."

Kal sighed staring at him, "Ok...could you go down to the cargo hold and get her omni tool? I'm sure she'll want it when she wakes up and I need to get in my real suit."

Jack nodded and gently let him go, "Of course, I'll meet you in medbay. Get us some blankets so we can sleep in there and wait for her to wake up."

Joker tried to cough as normally as possible to get their attention, "I don't mean to interrupt Commander but, we're gonna need a heading."

Jack watched Kal disappear in the elevator and turned around, "Any luck on the Collector data EDI?"

EDI seemed to sound rather disappointed with herself, "Unfortunately, the information I received off of the Collector dreadnought's bridge contained one hundred million quilezites worth of files. It will still be some time before I am able to locate relevant data on the Omega-4 Relay. My best ETA is two more weeks."

He nodded rubbing the back of his neck, "It's alright EDI, take your time so we get the right data. Joker, for now just wait on Miranda to check back in and pick her up. We'll figure out the rest later."

Jack didn't wait on Joker to acknowledge what he said and headed towards the elevator. He had so much floating around his head and didn't really have a good answer for any of it. The galaxy was going to devolve into pure chaos now and he had no good answers for any of it. How many people were going to die in a war with the Terminus just because he didn't turn himself in. Every single future death was going to be on his hands, it was a total catastrophe. However, the Reapers actually invading the galaxy because governments wouldn't listen to him would be far worse. This was for the best of everyone, no matter how painful it was in the short term.

The elevator ride to the cargo hold was a quiet one, everyone was probably in the medbay getting looked at for various injuries. It was a good time to just let himself slump to the floor and put his head in his hands. The door opened before he could wallow in the bad situation he found himself in and to his surprise, the hold's lights were already on. Surely Zero wasn't well enough to sneak down here mere minutes after being shot in the legs so, who else would want to be down here? After getting closer to her little hide away, Jack started to slow down when he heard several Turian voices. His first thought was Garrus and Saren were talking until he heard the recorded nature of it and the raised voices.

He recognized the first to be Nihlus' to his surprise, "It was war Saren, I guarantee you we created just as many orphans as well. And saying you had no family after that is just not true, the Vakarians took you in with opened arms. They gave you everything they had and when Garrus came along he loved you like a brother. He still does by the way, maybe you should acknowledge that after what you put him through."

Saren's indoctrinated snarl answered, "Don't lecture me on that. Garrus needed to learn you can't always trust another SPECTRE's word. Apparently, I can't either..." The real Saren's voice cut into the recording, "You don't mean that! Tell him you don't mean that!"

Nihlus answered gently, "I have always been on your side, you know that right?" A second passed, "Why else would I help you change Garrus' diapers with you? Talk to your Mom while you were at the store? Saren, I love you. Can you trust me on this? I promise I didn't do this lightly. Please?"

Jack stopped his approach realizing how much of a private moment he had stumbled in on. This had to be the rest of the 'insurance policy' recording Nihlus had given him. It was the piece of evidence that led them to Tali and thus the rest of the investigation into Saren. He hadn't listened to this section because he had rushed out of the apartment thinking Garrus was a traitor. Now it felt like he was invading Saren's privacy, especially knowing what happened after on Eden Prime. The admission surprised him but, in hindsight it made sense. Nihlus hadn't told them about his suspicions before Eden Prime because he didn't want to believe someone he loved would attack a colony.

He heard a slap on the recording, "Don't you dare touch me after nominating that Human. He's filth and so are you." The real Saren gasped, "No,no,no,no,no, don't you dare leave. Tell him you love him damnit! Tell him before you don't have another chance!"

Nihlus sounded hurt and surprisingly desperate, "You don't mean that Saren, please tell me what's going on, I can help you. I...I don't want to be without y-"

Jack heard the sound of a punch, "I said, don't touch me! Next time I'll kill you, stay out of my life!" 

A door slammed and he could hear Nihlus crying as quietly as possible, "Well...snf...I guess I'm staying the course. Fuck...SP....whatever."

The video ended and he could hear Saren start to cry, "Nih..I didn't mean any of that.. Spirits..tell him I...." He trailed off in a sob.

Jack would be lying if he said the sight wasn't very strange. Saren had been either extremely stoic or cold with him depending on when they communicated. Seeing him breakdown at the realization that this was the last conversation he had with a loved one of at least thirty years was heartbreaking. He couldn't begin to imagine how he would feel if someone showed him having that kind of conversation with Kal. It was especially rough knowing Saren hadn't been in control during any of that already being a slave to Sovereign. Jack did his best to sneak behind him to get Zero's omni tool trying not to disturb him.

Saren snapped up to his feet attempting to wipe away as many tears as he could, "Shepard... I didn't know you were down here. I apologize for not joining you on the last mission, I've still been recovering from..." He motioned to the top and back of his head which was missing it's fringe.

Jack put the omni tool in an armored pocket. The Turian seemed wanting to ignore the obvious fact that Jack had heard at least some of that conversation. He could tell Saren was flustered though, that had to be the most polite thing he had ever told Jack. The smartest thing Jack could do was respect Saren's wishes and ignore the elephant in the room but, it was eating Saren apart. The regret of not telling Nihlus he loved him was all over Saren's face. Jack knew that kind of feeling from the immediate aftermath of Torfan and had wished he had someone to talk to at the time. He was sure Saren wouldn't tell any of this to Garrus so, he might as well try to get him to open up.

His elbow leaned on one of the crates and he smiled, "I'm not a slave master Saren, take as much time to recover as you need. How are you feeling?"

Saren gave a far more typical cold laugh, "I don't need your pity Shepard. I'm operational for the official mission, the control chip is still enabled however. So I'd suggest not leaving Cerberus yet."

Jack wasn't phased by the cold shoulder, "Showing empathy isn't the same thing as pity Saren. I like knowing my crew, we're family. Dysfunctional sometimes maybe but, family nonetheless."

Saren rolled his eyes and sat down on Zero's bed, "So, being a pretend psychologist runs in the Shepard family then? Your mother thought the way you do, and it didn't work out well for her."

Jack sat across from him on one of the boxes, "Do you want to talk about that then? I'm not gonna leave until you get something off your chest Saren. Keeping everything in your life bottled up isn't healthy, and I need everyone focused on the mission."

Saren glared at the ceiling for a moment with a sigh, "Fine. I was part of your father's unit in the Turian cabal, an elite biotic division of the Turian military, just as he was assigned to a multi species task force. One of our brilliant scientists had apparently been kidnapping Humans and experimenting on them."

Jack leaned forward showing genuine interest, "Doctor Septimus Oraka, mom told me that part of the story at least."

Saren seemed to relax a little, "Yes, you have to remember this was only ten years after Relay 314. The Alliance wanted to be sure the abductions weren't sanctioned by the Hierarchy and so that's how the task force was formed. We were each others check and balance so to speak." He seemed to be looking for the right words before he went on, "I knew Oraka wasn't behind it just for the simple fact Harper was working with your mother."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "So The Illusive Man worked on her team too? He failed to really mention that."

Saren chuckled seemingly actually amused, "That doesn't surprise me, he didn't succeed in starting another Human-Turian war so why would he mention it? I won't bore you with the details but, I found evidence Oraka was being framed by Harper and I acted. I killed his wife first and then I beat him to the point that he became blind afterwards, hence the eyes. Sadly, your mother cared too much about her crew as a family and ultimately stopped me from killing him. Look how well that has turned out for the galaxy Shepard? Can you imagine what things would be like without Cerberus?"

Jack shook his head, "That's not fair Saren, she had absolutely no idea he would do all the things he has. Why would she?"

Saren shifted on the bed trying to get comfortable, "My point Shepard is that you can't be that close to your crew, it clouds your judgement. One of these days your going to have to sacrifice a member of your family for the greater good. I'm sure you have other things to do. And I need to...hear his voice again."

Jack knew when he was getting told to leave and slowly stood up, "For the record Saren, he knew. He didn't tell us immediately it was you even though he had prior intel about you. I think he hoped he could talk you down."

He left to go to the medbay, hearing Nihlus' recording begin again.


	47. Chapter 46: Coup D'etat

Rael looked at his omni tool anxiously watching the timer slowly tick down towards ten. Ten programs, that was the threshold he had calculated for Legion before he lost all sentience completely, and time was running out. Han and the rest of his team of butcherers had been working day and night for the past week removing one program a piece seeing if it was responsible for Legion's ability to leave the consensus. Quarian society often called the Geth soulless murderers but, in his experience the Geth merely learned from their creators. Han had been committing a mindless genocide for the past week, ripping out program after program before examining it and then destroying it all the while making Legion watch. He couldn't imagine the pseudo psychological damage that would cause a synthetic since protecting each one of those programs had been Legion's prime directive.

He had remembered Tali bringing him back to the fleet in chains as her pilgrimage gift. While he was proud she could finally call herself a vas, after a six year pilgrimage, he was disappointed she treated the Geth in question with such disdain. Yes the Geth had driven them from their homeworld and the Veil three hundred years ago but, it wasn't their fault. They had just been following strings of code originally designed for defense, and code could be edited. Over the last two years, Rael had been trying to get Tali to see Legion wasn't like the others but she remained distant with him. She apparently blamed Legion for losing a friend on the Normandy crew, so he sent her out scavenging for Geth materials out in the Terminus to work with.

His first thought was using Legion as a backdoor into the consensus and delete the lines of code making them hostile. It would've been an easy fix and they'd all be back on the homeworld again, his hopes had vanished when Legion explained the Reapers. A race of sentient machines programmed to cleanse all galactic life every fifty thousand years, a hard idea to swallow for everyone in the galaxy to swallow, besides Quarians. After that, he and Legion worked together as best they could to remove the indoctrination virus from the consensus. Their shared hypothesis was that something that could shut down Reaper programming in the Geth could also shut it down in the Reapers themselves. It would've been a way to save the entire galaxy instead of just themselves.

Unfortunately, the destruction of the Shellen and it's food supplies put an increasing amount of pressure for results, which led to the other Admirals involvement. Han grew even more impatient with Legion needing to be quarantined from the infected consensus as time went on and he finally took over the project using his rank as military Grand Admiral. If Rael genuinely believed Han could have actual results with his approach, he would've let this go. The problem was Han was a genetisist, not a programmer. Rael was afraid Han would find the right answer only to toss it aside forever. There couldn't be any do overs with Legion, it was clear that the Geth was one of a kind. Which was why Rael was pacing around the abandoned laboratory, what he was about to do could be seen as treason.

The second member of his team snuck inside the room with him, "You have no idea how much security Gerrel has in place. I don't know how long it will take for Koris to...." He trailed off looking around the room, "Admiral, what is this place exactly...?"

Rael had been hoping the soldier wouldn't have noticed the children's toys and apparel scattered around the room mixed with needles and tables to strap a small Quarian down on. When he used his old access key, he himself had been surprised the lab was exactly the way he had left it some sixteen years ago. Then he realized leaving the room exactly the same was Han's way of connecting with his now exiled son. Keelah knows the man couldn't actually care about his son, especially if torturing him were some of Gerrel's fondest memories of the boy. It was the darkest parts in Rael's life and the primary reasons he switched sciences to become an engineer.

He sat on one of the tables and motioned to the children's suits, "You remember the Kal'Reegar trial a few years back..? He claimed all the Admirals on the board knew he had been experimented on as a child to enhance his immune system? He was telling the truth Vasa..."

Vasa'Nir vas Tonbay had been one of Rael's oldest friends and served as a Sheriff of sorts for the upper section on the Rayya. He had been going through a lot since his wife had died on the Shellen and his daughter, Qetsi'Nir had joined the Nedas movement. It was an organization designed to bring non-violent exiles like Kal back to the fleet seeing as they weren't criminals. This was a lot to put on a man already going through so much but, Rael didn't see many other options.

Vasa put his hands on his hips, "You knew he was telling the truth and you voted to exile him anyways? What the osik Rael?!" He started attempting to count all of the suits on the floor, "How many kids did he do that to? I count at least a hundred suits."

Rael rubbed his hands together looking at the clock, "It was just Kal. After we injected him with a virus...we'd strip him naked for a day and then give him a new suit..everytime."

Vasa stared at him with his orange visor, "Rael, that's torture. You could've killed him a thousand times over it sounds like. Why did you bring me here? So I could arrest you?"

The door opened again and a female voice answered, "So you could arrest Gerrel and give us our lab back."

Rael gave an appreciative nod towards her, "Vasa'Nir vas Tonbay, I would like to introduce you to Jona'Olam vas Kalom my chief science officer."

Vasa gave her a polite head tilt, "It's a pleasure but we've already met. Our children have an arranged marriage once Qetsi returns from the Citadel."

Jona was busy closing the blinds to the room seemingly ignoring them, "Oh right, Senna was excited when he saw your daughter." She turned her focus to Rael, "How much time do we have, realistically?"

Both men noticed the mother's almost flippant tone seeing Vasa and he was sure the other Quarian wondered why. It could've just been that she was focused on their mission here like they should be but, Rael knew better. Her son, Senna, had never looked at women at all. Nor had he asked his parents to start looking for marriage opportunities when he returned from his pilgrimage like most men his age would've normally. Rael would've just written it off as Senna being shy and wanting to focus on being a marine but, after Kal was voted off the fleet, Jona kept her distance from him even though they worked together. Rael could just be jumping to conclusions, it just wouldn't surprise him if Senna was gay and Jona knew about it.

Rael was sad she didn't feel like she could've talked to him about it but, he understood why she hadn't. For all appearances, he had voted Kal off of the flotila just because he was gay. The truth was he had voted with the other Admirals just because that was what was expected from him. The fleet had just returned from participating in the Skillyian Blitz and birth rates were already naturally on the decline. Giving Kal a pass could've potentially hurt future genetic diversity at a time they needed to preserve it most. It was just another reason they needed to retake the homeworld, strict marriage arrangements wouldn't be necessary.

He looked at his omni tool again, "If Han's team is keeping their current pace, we have twenty minutes to make sure Legion still has coherent intelligence."

Vasa looked between the two of them obviously confused, "It sounds like you two have a plan so...why am I here exactly?"

Jona set her own omni tool's clock to the same time speaking absent mindedly, "Your going to arrest the di'kut. That a problem?"

Vasa put a hand on his hip and tilted his head, "Yes actually it kind of is. I don't have any crime scene techs to look at all this. For all I know the two of you set this place up just to get Gerrel out of here. No offense but, it's no secret you two hate each others guts."

Rael sighed looking around the room, "Your right we could've, and I don't have time to convince you otherwise. However, by Quarian law if two Admirals agree on another being unfit to serve, it would be your duty to relieve them of duty."

Vasa's eyes widened, "Your suggesting a coup? To relieve the Grand Admiral from duty right now while we are in the middle of a war with Cerberus? For a crime he started thirty years ago? That's insane."

Zaal's voice came from behind them, "Rael, I'm very busy coordinating food rations between civilian ships. I hope whatever you called me here for was impor....tant."

The civilian Admiral trailed off looking around the lab. Rael envied Zaal a little, he was too young of an Admiral to know what Gerrel had been up to in this lab. He couldn't imagine what it was like to discover one of the worst rumors to go around the fleet in a century was true. Rael couldn't even tell Tali it was true when she asked because he couldn't face her anger when she inevitably realized he was involved. On every other day of the week, Rael was a coward but, today he was protecting their chances of getting back to the homeworld. And more importantly, the opportunity to potentially destroy the Reapers if they had a breakthrough.

Rael opened his arms wide and gestured around the room, "You've wanted to shake Han's power loose? To contact the Council for proper support? This is the way."

His knees shook as he stepped inside the lab, "Reegar was telling the truth. He spent his entire childhood in this room and you bosh'tets all cooperated in it."

Rael took a deep breath to face his own faults, "Yes we did, and I know you must be disgusted with me but we don't have time to argue about the merits of what happened here. Right now all I need you to do is tell Vasa that you think Han'Gerrel is unfit to serve."

Zaal surprised him with a tilt of his head, "Why? Why would you want to show me this now?"

While Rael hadn't been expecting the question, he quickly answered, "Gerrel is stripping apart Legion for parts thinking he'll find the answer to break the consensus. I know otherwise, and I know we have to act now in order to save the fleet."

Zaal looked down at his feet and shook his head, "I can't do that Rael. What he did here with his son is terrible and he will pay for it. Unfortunately, I can't agree to stop him now when I think he's doing the right thing. Working with the Geth is dangerous, and when we're already incredibly vulnerable I can't condone taking more risks."

Jona got into his face with a hostile tone, "Damnit Qwib-Qwib, why don't you grow some fucking balls?! Do you honestly think we're just yanking your chain for the fun of it? This is for the good of the whole fleet!"

Vasa looked between the two of them and then at Rael, "Care to fill me in about a Geth we apparently have aboard?"

Rael filled the silence, "My daughter brought a talking Geth to the fleet as her pilgrimage gift. We've been studying it for the past two years trying to find a way to peacefully break the consensus. Gerrel has had other plans."

Zaal shook his head and turned to leave, "When the Geth is dead, I'll move to arrest him immediately. I'd also get a lawyer for yourself since you knew this was going on. Good day Admiral."

Rael's heart sank as he watched Zaal leave as fast as possible not wanting to be seen anywhere near this room. He thought Zaal would jump at the chance to take down his political rival. It was disappointing that his fear of the unknown with the Geth overridded his hate for Han. Rael was thinking of another way he could get Gerrel away from Legion as soon as he could but, he wasn't coming up with anything. He could potentially call another Admiral down here if they had more time yet they didn't have any time left. Unless Han stopped suddenly, Legion was going to be officially brain dead within the next five minutes and there was nothing he could do about it.

Vasa gave a regretful shrug, "I'm sorry Rael, I won't break the law for a Geth."

Jona grabbed his arm and pulled him to face her, "We were nearing a breakthrough on systemic viral attacks. Imagine our children on the homeworld in the next few months because we acted today."

Vasa tugged his arm free and opened the door, "Then maybe you should share your data with Gerrel and learn to work together on this. I don't know about you, but I actually want to be with my kid when we land on the homeworld."

He left the two of them alone and Jona shouted at the air, "Kriff! Two years of our lives go right down the drain because vas Qwib-Qwib's are all bosh'tets!"

His omni beeped at him warning him that they were at the two minute mark and Rael had an idea. It was a terrible idea that could get them both killed so, he needed to be sure it was what he wanted to do. He had an M10-Predator pistol on him and he knew Jona had something similar on her person. If they were quick and careful, they could take Han hostage and attempt to break the consensus with Legion before anyone realized Gerrel wasn't showing up for his official duties. If they were discovered though, they would get killed by a team of Quarian marines. He decided his people were worth the risk, Tali was worth it.

Rael let his voice sound more confident then he felt, "No. We're too close. I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld. I'm not going to sit and wait while the politicians argue. Are you with me right now?"

Jona tapped her chin, "I think so, we'd have an easier time of it if we used some of Tali'Zorah's more working material. The Geth could repair themselves and serve as quite the distraction."

Rael practically snapped at her, "Absolutely not! I don't want Tali exposed to any more political blowback than she already is. You either come with me alone or you don't come at all."

The two of them started running to reach Gerrel's new research lab as the last thirty seconds closed in on them. When they reached the door and kicked it down, Gerrel was holding the drill like extractor getting ready to reinsert it into Legion's optical sensor once again. Even though he was going through with what was essentially a treasonus coup, Rael couldn't help but feel a flood of relief flow through him. They had managed to save Legion just in time to keep his sentience in tact. If Legion could still somehow see him as a friend after what happened here, they could continue their work in peace.

Han froze when he heard the door get kicked down, "I wondered how long it would take for you to intervene. This is bold though, even for you."

Jona stepped forward and put her pistol to the back of his head, "Drop the extractor and walk back to the wall."

Rael was watching him but slowly walked towards Legion, "Legion how are you doing?"

The Geth's speech whirred and grumbled, "We...I imagine this is how organics feel after losing vital components to their hardware. I will need to run a diagnostic to determine the extent of the damage."

Rael could already tell the damage was far more severe than even he could've imagined. It was easy to miss if you never communicated with the Geth before but, the use of 'I' was a red flag. Legion must only have one logic core program, he no longer had anything to bounce his ideas off of and thus used 'I' instead of 'we.' Rael gulped and looked down at the extractor on the table and saw it was still full of the days programs that Han hadn't disposed of. While it must've been only a tiny fraction of all the programs that had been removed over the past week, it could potentially be the difference between a first grade education level or a college degree for Legion.

He shook his head and put his gun down, "That won't be necessary yet Legion, I can already see the problem and can help."

After a cry from Jona, he spun around to see Han hold her at gunpoint with her weapon, "Don't you dare repair him at all! I already have neutralizerd it as a threat for good! I was close to finding the key to everything."

Rael was doing his best to look for his gun subtly on the medical table behind him, "No Gerrel, you may have ruined our only chance at doing something more than saving ourselves. Legion could help us defeat the Reapers and do real good for the galaxy!"

Han laughed and stayed behind Jona, "When has the galaxy ever done anything for us?! Even as our own people starve around us, the Council puts conditions on sending aid! We should let them burn for everything they put through."

He put his fingers around the grip of the gun and felt Legion's arm moving as well, "The Council and the rest of the galaxy will treat us with more respect if we actively help them without expecting something in return. How do you expect we will survive when the Reapers have killed everyone else? Where will our pilgrims get the resources we need?"

Jona suddenly shouted making them both jump, "Legion DON'T!"

They both looked at Legion who was holding a piece of Geth hardware, "What do you mean Creator Olam? I was reading a 50-50 percent chance Creator Zorah being injured or killed, I just wanted to help."

Rael hoped the worst hadn't come to pass but, a synthetic voice filled the intercom across the entire ship, "Warning, warning active Geth detected. Warning, warning this is not a drill. Warning, warning...."


	48. Chapter 47: Betrayal Repaid

Jack got as comfortable as he could with Kal on the small couch in the medbay and they rested together waiting for Zero to wake. As far as he was concerned, she could take as much time as she needed to recover from the damage. According to Chakwas, Zero had received fourteen bullet wounds to her knees and ankles making it somewhat unclear if she'd ever be able to walk again. The diagnosis made Jack question whether or not they should've sent her to Grissom Academy when they found her but, the same problems with that solution still remained. Cerberus wanted her for her gifts with biotics, and they wouldn't hesitate to attack someplace like Grissom for her. She was safer on the Normandy, even though it might not feel that way right now.

However, that didn't mean he thought that way for everyone on the ship right now. Vetra was sitting on a very similar couch next to Sidera's bed while scrolling through her omni tool. Luckily, Sidera was going to be ok physically after a few treatments of medi-gel, Ashley's bullets had gone through her body completely causing less damage. Psychologically though, she was going to be traumatized for years due to her time in the slave trade, and the Normandy wasn't equipped to deal with that kind of damage. Before today he would've suggested Vetra take her and Sid to Alliance space and enter witness protection, unfortunately that wouldn't be possible now. The Alliance News Network was already blaming her for a war with the Terminus meaning she didn't have a lot of places to hide. Regardless, Jack knew they weren't safe here, the Collector homeworld was probably their next target.

Sid was the first to wake up with a tiny groan and she instantly tried to yank out her IV, "No more needles, I've been good... You promised no more...."

Vetra dropped her omni tool and cupped her mandible, "Hey, hey, hey, relax.. Your safe, I'm here."

Sid wrapped her free arm around her sister and pulled her close, "I was afraid you wouldn't find me. What took you so long?"

Vetra sighed and hugged her closely, "I've been looking for you since the morning I knew you were gone. I just had a few setbacks I wasn't counting on. I'm here now and I'm not going to let anything else happen to you."

The younger Turian let her go and looked around, "Did...did you find Lantar? He rescued me from the Blood Pack mercs and then I passed out. I woke up with that Hock guy."

Vetra raised a browplate and her tone got serious, "Lantar? You mean Lantar Sidonis? I told you he passed away a month ago. Have you seen him since then?"

Jack realized not telling Vetra that Lantar had been with Cora at the estate was maybe a mistake. At the time, he had been worried she would have gone back upstairs to shoot him and create chaos. He realized after the fact that not telling her took away her opportunity at getting revenge. In the end the shootout happened without her doing anything anyways, and Lantar potentially got away with Cora. Depending on where she was planning on going to next, Vetra might not get the chance to get revenge now. It was probably for the best, she needed to focus on actually taking care of Sid, not going after the people who kidnapped her.

Sidera nodded emphatically, "Yeah, I was walking from Kenn's salvage back to the base like I always do when some Blood Pack mercs tried to attack me. Lantar came out of nowhere to save me. I...I got really tired after that and I can't remember what happened until Hock was standing over me somewhere else. Do you think he's ok?"

Vetra was clearly looking for the right words when Garrus spoke from the door, "Lantar wasn't trying to save you Sid, he's the one that took you off Omega to get to your sister."

Sidera gave him a stunned expression, "Are you sure? Lantar was with you, why would he do something like that? He was always nice to me when you all visited the Talon base. And are you ok? You look worse than I feel."

Garrus winced trying to make a laugh, "Ouch that hurts. Yeah, I'm fine kiddo just made a few mistakes I shouldn't have." He made sure to make eye contact with Vetra, "The important thing to know is I handled it. He won't be coming after either of you again."

Sid gave a firm nod and looked over in their direction with a gasp, "Uncle Kal is that who I think it is?!"

Kal blinked having been staring at Zero's vital signs, "Oh, heh yeah this is Jack."

Jack smiled to her politely, "It's nice to meet you Sidera, I've worked with your sister for a long time now trying to find you. It's good to finally put a face to the name."

He could tell she was having a hard time containing her excitement, "Spirit knows how many nights I stayed up late to hear conversations about you. Is it true you really survived a mid atmospheric jump in a Mako? Twice?!"

Jack chuckled from her enthusiasm, "It was actually three times, did Garrus tell you about the time he almost got us killed in a volcano?"

Her eyes widened, "No! Although that doesn't really surprise me."

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah well, I'm glad your ok Sid. I have to go back to engineering but I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

Jack could tell Garrus wasn't doing well. His plates were slightly lighter than normal, he wasn't making a hundred jokes, and he just seemed distant in general. From what Garrus had just told them, Jack could tell killing Sidonis had taken a pretty hefty toll on him emotionally. Jack had only met Lantar for a few minutes really when Kal was recovering from Virmire but, he could tell he had been close with Garrus. Having a friend like that betray you and get the rest of your mutual friends killed had to be hard. It was clear he needed to talk about it but didn't want to burden anyone else given the current situation they were all in.

He quickly kissed the side of Kal's helmet, "I'll be right back." When Kal nodded, Jack followed Garrus to the mess hall, "Hey how are you doing?"

Garrus slowed to a stop against the fridge door and put his forehead on it, "You know, I thought doing it would make me feel better.. A way to I don't know..let go? It turns out all it did was make everything feel so fresh again."

Jack stood near him and gave a sympathetic gaze, "Did he say anything to you? Explain why he did what he did?"

Garrus grabbed one of the dextro alcohol bottles from the fridge and popped the lid with a talon, "Does it matter? He was the one person I could talk to after Saren...I mean Sovereign threw me under the bus for my SPECTRE training. Then a few years later Lantar does the same thing to me except I can't make it just go away, because he wasn't indoctrinated. He was just being his Spirit damned self and I was too stupid, or blind to see it."

Jack gave him a half smile, "You know, Kal likes to say the same thing about Erash. I think the two of you were just too compassionate for Omega."

Garrus took a long gulp from the bottle, "The mercs we tortured probably wouldn't exactly agree with you on that Jack." He looked down towards the ground, "The worst part is I just got so angry after seeing him again that I left Tali to fend for herself in the middle of all that chaos. I just got such a tunnel vision for Lantar that I wasn't thinking about what could've happened to her."

He could see the conflict and regret written all over the Turian's face. They prided themselves on being the most stoic species in the galaxy but, after years of being around them, Jack could at least read Garrus like a book. It was a surprise to him that Garrus would've left Tali on the field during the fighting to fend for herself but, she was a strong woman in her own right. What Garrus' expression really revealed to him was the fact that he cared for Tali a lot. Jack would be happy if the two of them got together. Despite their constant bickering, he could see they shared genuine feelings for each other. Maybe he could give Garrus a push in the right direction like Vetra had done for him.

Jack tilted his head and frowned, "You shouldn't of done that knowing what was going on but, I'm sure she handled herself."

Garrus took another swig spinning the bottle slowly in his hand, "I know. I just feel really bad about it knowing something could've happened... I'm an ass Shepard."

Jack paused trying to come up with the right thing to say, "Maybe occasionally... You obviously care about what happened though, you should tell her your sorry and make sure she's ok."

Garrus shifted about, debating if that was what he wanted to do, "Yeah your probably right. I'm just not looking forward to seeing Kenneth again."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "You did apologize for hitting him...didn't you?"

Garrus gave a quick head tilt, "It was uncomfortable but we both agreed we were in the wrong. We've just been taking opposite shifts to avoid each other."

Jack shrugged nonchalantly, "Give him the rest of his shift off as a token of good will. We aren't doing anything important right now so you can probably take your shift off after."

Garrus put the half bottle of beer back in the fridge, "Alright I'll go..thanks Jack, I needed that." He started to leave but stopped and turned around, "Hey has Saren talked to you at all? He was always touchy this time of year when I was growing up and he keeps telling me we'll talk later."

The question put Jack on the spot and he didn't know exactly how to respond. Garrus had to of known Nihlus and Saren were close but, the fact he was asking made Jack wonder if he knew how close. If Jack had to guess, Nihlus and Saren broke up multiple times throughout their lives, maybe this time of year featured a nasty break up long ago. He was sure Garrus wouldn't have cared since they were friends, he might've even supported Saren right now. However, if Saren hadn't told him, it wasn't Jack's place to spill that kind of news. He would let Garrus know if and when he was ever ready.

Jack gave him a shrug, "I've seen him lurking around the cargo hold. He doesn't exactly enjoy having a long conversation with me though so I don't know how he's doing."

_o0o_

Garrus regretted the fact that he couldn't get Jack and Saren to be closer allies at least. They had the same heart deep down and probably would've gotten along if the indoctrination wasn't a thing. He didn't blame Jack for the distance between the two of them though, they hadn't known each other before. Saren didn't help at all since he kept to himself for the majority of the time. He ate alone, showered alone, even slept in the broom closet so he could sleep alone. Personally, Garrus suspected Saren was ashamed because of everything he had done over the years and didn't want to face people. Hopefully, Garrus could eventually get Saren to see the crew knew he wasn't responsible for what the Reapers made him do.

He started making his way towards the elevator, "Alright thanks. You better get back in there for Kal. I'll see you around."

Being alone wasn't good for him right now Garrus decided as the elevator doors closed around him. It gave him time to think about his team and how each one of them had died. Jax had been snapped in half by Garm's bare hands, poor Salarian was always so fragile. Lantar he had just killed in cold blood for betraying the team. Vortash and Mierin had been taken out by the same Blue Suns sniper. Erash had ultimately been fried by a terminal he had been hacking to get them out of Afterlife's sewer system. All the deaths hurt but, Lantar's was the worst. He had trusted the Turian since he joined CSEC, how could he have been working with Cora? Had he been doing it the entire time they were on Omega? Garrus was analyzing every conversation they ever had trying to remember if Lantar gave him any clues.

Unfortunately, that just made him think about the moment he killed Lantar. He had seen him trying to run out a side door to the docks and so shot him in the leg. Looking back on what happened an hour ago made him realize the Spirits were protecting him. Not one of the Alliance soldiers or the mercenaries had noticed him, it gave him time to have a 'talk' with his old friend. On second thought, maybe the Spirits were cursing him by living through this. Garrus' brain would be permanently burned with the memory of Lantar's face. The way he screamed when Garrus shot him. It was going to give him nightmares for the foreseeable future.

He closed his eyes seeing Lantar go down from the first shot, "Fuck! Look... I didn't want to do it... I didn't have a choice!"

Garrus had slowly followed him as he crawled towards the door, his tone was a growl, "Everyone has a choice! You could've come to me. I would've helped you, we all would've!"

Sidonis was whimpering and desperately reaching for the door control from his position on the ground, "She got to me. Said she'd kill me, Avitus and Macen if I didn't help. What was I supposed to do? She's the only way they'll stay safe... I had to."

Garrus shot him once clean in the spine seeing as he wasn't making much sense, "Betrayal repaid, Sidonis."

The elevator door opened and Garrus sighed, it was time to let it go. He might've gone after Cora if Jack didn't need him. As it was though, the Collectors were more important than his personal vendetta. After the Reapers were guaranteed to be dead and gone, he could think about picking up her seemingly vanishing trail. It was disappointing to see the supposed best bounty hunters lose her so easily, he could do better than Zaeed. The other possibility was that Zaeed was purposefully avoiding her and the hunt was for show. It would've been a pain in the ass to fake documentation of his pursuit but, Garrus figured it wasn't totally impossible for a company with as many resources as Cerberus.

Tali's angered voice pulled him from his thoughts, "Come on, you little bosh'tet!" She looked around seeing the two Human engineers and Garrus staring at her, "Oh, sorry. I've got a small fever, and I'm taking it out on the poor drive core. Don't worry, it's nothing serious. Got sloppy while running around on the last mission."

Garrus felt even worse hearing that. If he had just stayed closer to her, he could've potentially protected her from a suit puncture. What if this wasn't just a minor fever? What if she got so sick they would have to take her to Huerta Medical like Kal after Virmire? Garrus didn't know if he could handle seeing her like that and feeling partially responsible for it. He had only felt that way about Chloe, so much so that she left him. When did these feelings for Tali start? It was a question that really made him pause and think.

Gabby laughed it off with a shrug, "It's ok, happens to everyone."

He was about to jump in when Kenneth shook his head at her, "Do you get a fever for showing off some of your skin...? So Garrus, what do you think of our new Quarian boss?"

Gabby smacked his arm with a glare, "Hush you. She's right over there."

Ken rolled his eyes and briefly glanced at her, "Ah, she can't hear us with her head in that bucket. So? What do you think Garrus?"

Garrus had to stop from punching him again, what a racist asshole. However, since Tali was deliberately ignoring them and pretending to actually not hear them, he figured she didn't want a scene. It made him feel for Tali when he knew everyday she had to deal with something similar to Ken. He knew several officers on the force that ranted and raved about how Quarians were the number one offenders for petty crimes on the Citadel. It was a ridiculous statement to make but, Garrus was ashamed to admit he had believed it for a time. Meeting Tali and Kal made Garrus do a 180, having nothing but sympathy for the Quarians.

He faked a smile and said, "Eh, she can be a little bossy but, you get used to it." Behind his back he signed in Kelr'ya hoping to make her laugh, "Don't get me wrong; it's a beautiful bucket. The whole suit is lovely. Quite snug, in all the right places."

Tali laughed quietly while staring at his hands obviously having no idea he knew sign, "So, what brings you down here CSEC? Arresting me for something?"

Garrus gave her a tiny smirk, "Tempting but no.. I was actually going to offer Ken and Gabby the rest of their shift off. I've got nothing else to do and miss calibrating the drive core."

Ken grinned and tugged on Gabby's arm, "Come on, we can go actually watch a Blasto episode while it's airing."

Gabby rolled her eyes and groaned, "Alright just this once I suppose... Engine's all yours Garrus. Have a good night Tali!"

The two Humans left leaving them alone to work on the engines. It was easy for him to just approach the terminal and get absorbed by it. Dealing with one's and zero's was so easy and clean. Garrus didn't have the opportunity to mess calibrating up, an error code would pop up and tell him to readjust. Apologizing to someone for making a dangerous fuck up didn't have warnings to tell him he needed to readjust. What if she didn't want an apology? What if she never wanted to talk to him again? He wouldn't really blame her because she wasn't Kal. A fever could get her killed if the virus wasn't treated in time. His heart was pounding in his chest at the possibility he had gotten her killed. How dare he be so selfish and careless?

Tali broke the silence, "Thanks for getting rid of them for awhile. Kenneth was making my head throb more than the fever."

Garrus couldn't build up the nerve to look at her, "I could punch him if you wanted me to? I've already done it once before you got here."

She shook her head quickly, "No, that won't solve anything. Just let me ignore him, it's easier.." She trailed off with a sneeze.

Garrus frowned typing away at the terminal, "I'm sorry I left you at the estate... I just needed to do that and wasn't thinking."

Tali glanced in his direction, "What happened between you and Lantar? That wasn't like you."

Garrus tried to sound as detached as possible, "He was part of my Archangel team and betrayed us getting everyone but me and Kal killed... I've been waking up every night... sick... and sweating. Each of their faces staring at me... accusing me of missing something."

Tali stayed silent for a few seconds before leaving her terminal to put her hand on his arm, "I'm so sorry Garrus. I can't change what happened but, I'm here to talk if you need it."

Garrus looked at her hand and then her helmet with a smile, "I'd be better off finding ways to forget it. How are you doing settling in on the new Normandy?"

She saw she was touching him and quickly retreated back to her station, "It's quiet but I miss some of the old cre...." Her omni tool beeped and Tali glanced down reading and rereading, "Garrus... I have to go talk to Jack and Kal I'm really sorry."

He watched her leave in a flash before he could speak. Had he said something wrong? Garrus was worried again, however, from the way she was moving he figured he'd hear about what was happening soon.


	49. Chapter 48: The Andromeda Initiative

Jack returned to the medbay to see Kal was still curled up under a blanket watching Zero's vitals. He understood Kal was upset and scared but, Zero was going to wake up just fine. The real question became whether or not she was going to be able to walk again when she woke. The kind of damage she suffered wasn't something you could jump up from no matter how much medi gel a person had pumped through them. However, Jack guessed that even if the muscles had been torn apart beyond repair, cybernetics could be attached to her legs to help her walk. It wasn't the ideal solution, he couldn't imagine Zero handling physical therapy well but, fake legs were technically an option. That just brought back the problem of where she could go and still stay safe.

Kal looked over at him as he sat back down, "How's he doing? He didn't look good."

Sidera laughed from the bed she was now sitting on, "That's stating the obvious Kal."

Vetra snapped her fingers to get her sisters attention, "Hey, are you looking? You need to know how to put on facepaint."

He felt bad for Sidera just then, more than he already did before. She had probably been in a shipping container or was getting tortured while the galaxy kept on spinning without her. Jack couldn't imagine having to deal with that only to come back and find out you needed a new identity because of what your sister did to save you. Omega was absolutely not a good place for anyone to grow up in but, it was her home for at least two years. She must've had a few friends that now she could never see or talk to ever again. On top of all that, they had no idea where they were going to go since the entire galaxy seemingly wanted their heads for one reason or another. His hope was that despite everything, Vetra wouldn't be too harsh on her.

Jack whispered quietly, "I think he will be eventually..killing Lantar was rough on him for sure."

Kal looked slightly down for a few seconds, "Yeah, he was the last person I suspected because we thought he died awhile before hand."

Jack scanned the vitals briefly, "Still no change that's good at least."

Kal viewed the monitor skeptically like it was lying to him, "It hasn't changed all that much since we got her hooked up and sedated. Makes me think the readings could be off."

Jack tried not to chuckle at the potential conspiracy theory, "Or...it could just mean Chakwas has gotten her to a stable place. Do you want me to go get her and have her check it?"

Kal rubbed his visor symbolically and sighed, "No, no... Between my shoulder, Sidera, Zero, and Tali's small fever, Chakwas doesn't need to be disturbed for my paranoia with medical equipment."

Hearing Kal list all of the things Chakwas had to treat today made him realize how wrong the mission had actually gone. The mission was supposed to be just a quick in and out of a wealthy pirate's estate to save a child and some memories. They weren't even supposed to have to fire a single shot, and yet it started a war. What had caused everything to go so terribly wrong? It was a question he needed to ask himself after every assignment that went down this poorly. Was there things he could've done differently for a better outcome? Asking Kasumi more questions so they were all prepared would've been a good place to start. Unfortunately, being more prepared wouldn't have helped them much in this situation. The Alliance still would've tried to arrest him leading to Aria declaring war on them again. Now that he thought about it, the entire dinner and auction felt like a setup. Why was Sidera the only slave supposedly going to be on offer?

Miranda entered the medbay with a groan, "Well, that's taken care of. Though, I can't guarantee Jacob won't be picked up by the Alliance now after the shit show you started. What exactly were you thinking Shepard?"

Jack hadn't been looking forward to Miranda returning to the Normandy for just this reason. He knew that since she wasn't there to see how things went down, she would merely judge the end result. And Jack had to admit that the end result of the mission was bad. Three of his team members had physical injuries with varying severity and another was emotionally traumatized for the time being. Then there was the other elephant in the room from the fact that they had essentially started the second act of the Skillyian Blitz. Before his kidnapping, Jack would've said the Alliance's military build up to deal with the Geth had been a good thing. Now though, it was just going to be used to prolong a confrontation with Aria instead of preparing for the Reapers. Given all that, he was surprised he was getting this lecture from her and not The Illusive Man himself. Maybe he had wanted the evening to go that way.

He took her by the arm outside so Sid didn't have to hear them argue about her, "Believe me I know this is less than a perfect mission alright? What did you want me to do? Shoot Aria so she didn't start a war?"

Miranda gave him a blunt nod, "Yes! That would've been a good place to start. As is, it looks like Cerberus condoned the attack. We didn't need that kind of reputation hit."

Jack couldn't hold back a laugh, "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know Cerberus had such a wonderful reputation to ruin. Think about the headlines if I had shot her for a second. 'Former SPECTRE kills leader of the Terminus Systems as she tries to defend her territory.' It would've been even worse and you know it. At least with Aria we might eventually get a peaceful resolution. You know if a Batarian was in charge we'd be fighting to the death."

Miranda refused to look at him and shook her head, "Fine, your right. Would you honestly say that saving one Turian teenager was worth it though?"

Feron coughed before he could answer and surprisingly Kasumi was standing right next to him, "Yes it was but not for that reason. I'd suggest we finish this discussion in Shepard's cabin."

Kasumi quickly added, "I'll go get Mand, she's just as important to this as the rest of us."

Jack and Miranda were both fairly confused by Feron's professional yet cheery attitude. If anything, he should be disappointed by the prospect of potentially losing Cora for awhile. Then he briefly remembered Kasumi's boyfriends message about some sort of Initiative. Did Feron think Cora was somehow involved with the project? Anything was possible Jack thought but, he needed more information before he could assume that for a fact. Where was this Initiative going for Cora to assume she could go with them and disappear from the public eye? And how was Vetra involved at all?

Vetra grumbled following Kasumi with them towards the elevator, "Can we make this fast? I need to make travel plans with Sid."

Kasumi smiled and tapped the button to go up, "Don't worry, this won't be a waste of that time."

Feron walked into the cabin and set one of his holo projectors on the ground in front of his bed, "Kasumi was kind enough to give me access to the information Keiji had gathered and I have to tell you, it's alarming."

He was listening to every word but, Jack was also paying attention to the chart starting to form on the device. At the top was two words, 'Andromeda Initiative' followed by a pyramid of names and faces. The way Feron had everything aligned made it look like a crime family with red lines connecting people from the top to the bottom. Most of the pictures were mere question marks but he recognized a few. Towards the top there was the disgraced, drunk, former N7 Alec Ryder. From the Luna mission he remembered Alec and his wife were responsible for EDI's creation. To the left of Alec was, Jien Garson, a billionaire philanthropist known for her amazing charity work. He felt his gut tense when he saw the name underneath Alec in bold red font, 'Cora Harper.'

Miranda turned to walk back towards the elevator, "I shouldn't be here for this. And you should hand over any data you have to Massani."

Feron had a gentle tone, "Yes you should Miranda. Don't you want to know why he's lying to us? Pitting you against her at every opportunity? Why he kept you in the dark about Leng? I think I found a piece of that puzzle."

Miranda sort of glared at him, "This is just a distraction, we should be focusing on how we can defeat the Reapers."

Feron kept his voice calm and patient, "If my theory is right, we are. You've trusted me before, would you just sit down and listen to what I have to say?"

She stopped at the elevator door and turned to face him, "Your not going to make me flip no matter what you have to say Feron. I'm going to go back to my office now so I don't have to report this meeting your all having."

While Jack wanted Feron to get to the point of what was going on here, he found the interaction between them to be fascinating to say the least. The way they talked to each other wasn't really typical for either party, dare he say there was some emotion in the way they spoke. He didn't know Miranda could care about anything but her sister and Feron seemed too obsessed by his job as a double agent to feel anything for anyone. Feron's stunned expression at the elevator door also made it clear he had no idea she knew where his true allegiance was. It begged the question for both of them probably, why hadn't she told The Illusive Man? She was supposedly the most loyal to him and yet she was letting someone like Feron operate in the company? It was strange to say the least.

Vetra coughed since he was still staring at the now closed door, "That going to be a problem, or can we get this show on the road please?"

Feron readjusted his jacket and turned to face them again pretending to have a neutral reaction, "No...I...I'll talk to her another time. Ahem.. Anyways, Kasumi was able to discover this, project, a few months ago and I think it's bigger than she first realized. Kasumi, show them what you showed me."

Kasumi activated her omni tool, "From what Keiji and I were able to uncover, the Andromeda Initiative is being sold as a kind of pleasure cruise to leave the Milky Way for the Andromeda galaxy. Here's one of the ads they have pre-recorded for ticket holders."

A gruff Human male voice spoke on her omni tool, "We are all leaving behind families, homes, the very birthplace of our species. Some for discovery, to see the unknown, others for a new start in a greener, brighter, more vibrant future. But today, whatever our reasons, we take the first steps toward a new vision for Humanity. Today, we begin to make our dream a reality."

Jack frowned staring at them both, "This has to be a trick right? There isn't a drive core in existence that could make that trip. And, to my knowledge there isn't a Mass Relay just pointing towards another galaxy." 

Feron smiled seemingly agreeing with him, "Your absolutely right, which was why the project was terminated two years ago by Alliance RD. You didn't see me at my old job on Noveria but, I worked for an eccentric Salarian named Anoleis. At the time I didn't think much of it but, he used to take calls often from another Salarian named Tann. This was the last recording of them I had before your ground team came barging in..."

Another recording started to play, "Anoleis! I just got a call from Admiral Hackett! Apparently Luna base was attacked and the AI could be exposed! That combined with the fact that we don't know how the drive cores will work is making the Alliance drop out. We're losing all of our funding! It's completely cut effective immediately!"

Anoleis responded quickly, "Tann, Tann slow down. What do mean funding has been cut? I... It wasn't... I'll call you right back."

Vetra raised a browplate, "Ok? So someone was pretending to plan a trip to another galaxy and their funding ultimately went dry. What does this have to do with anything?"

Jack felt like Vetra's question was too blunt but, he understood where she was coming from. The story seemed pretty cut and dry at this point. Someone got the idea to leave the Milky Way for a 'better future,' whatever that meant, without thinking about the logistics behind it. Shit hit the fan and some ungodly amount of credits were wasted on the project. What did this have to do with the people on the holo? And why did Feron think knowing about this failed experiment was worth starting a war with the Terminus? 

Feron smiled at her confidently, "I'm getting to that but, I'm going to go over some events that happened shortly after that. We defeat Sovereign on the Citadel, the Normandy is attacked by the Collectors, and somehow Cora kidnaps you immediately after. At the same time, Cora has made a deal with the Collectors to supposedly bring Saren back from the dead. That's not my speculation, here's a recording of hers I found on Lazarus Station."

Cora's voice made him feel uneasy, "December 4th, 2184 and finally we can wake him up. After putting so much time on freezing his brain in cryo, the transplant, scanning for indoctrination, all of it! I can happily say I brought Saren Arterius back to life with all of his memories and minus the Reaper indoctrination. The tech I traded with the Collectors really made all the difference in the world. And to top it all off, all they wanted in exchange was for me to keep Shepard in his cryo pod. Hopefully, this will be a big enough present to dad, otherwise I'm screwed."

Feron paused looking at them, "The fact I was able to obtain this suggests to me that this isn't really the whole story. Why would she need to give a present to her father? At first I thought it was for keeping Jack in the pod but that's not quite right. This recording to me suggests Cora decided to keep you in the pod after making the deal. Yet, she had been working on reviving Saren the moment he died meaning she probably needed this 'present' before taking you. So that begs the question, what did she do against her father?"

Jack was slowly starting to follow where this was going, "She was helping the Collectors kidnap Human colonies."

Feron grinned and nodded emphatically, "Yes, your right! I still think there's a bit of racial motivation behind the attacks but, I don't think that's the only thing she got out of it. At the same time our friend Tann reaches out to Jien Garson. I don't know what was said but, shortly after she quit giving out charity credits and the Ryders drop off the grid with their half of his AI creation. And now Kasumi shows me they're discretly selling tickets for the trip to Andromeda. I think the Collectors gave Cora drive core technology to reach Andromeda."

Jack furrowed his brow, "Why would they do that Feron? The Collectors want to kill all of Humanity, why would they give us a chance to flee?"

Feron's face darkened and he shrugged, "I don't know.. What I do know is Cora and the first ships are leaving soon. According to Kasumi's tickets, the 'Nexus' leaves for Andromeda from the Viper Nebula next week."

He knew that system name, he remembered the name, Jack just didn't know from where. Sometimes he wished he was like a Drell and could recall something from the past in perfect detail. It could maybe be useful to know where they were coming from, give some clue as to why they chose that system. The destination was more important though. If Feron was right, Cora was going to another galaxy with the help of the Collectors for some unknown purpose. But, what did Feron expect him to do about it? He couldn't just abandon the fight in the Milky Way to chase down a lead on Cora potentially doing something nefarious.

Jack tilted his head, "The Viper Nebula, where is it?"

Feron had a dismissive tone, "Batarian space I believe, it doesn't matter. What matters is we can't let Cora take that trip without having eyes on her and have someone who is prepared to stop her when they get there."

Jack frowned trying to come up with a solution, "I agree but, I can't just abandon my place here. The Collectors and Sovereign are active here, I can't ignore that."

Feron didn't seem upset, "I wasn't asking you to do it." He looked at Vetra, "I was hoping you would volunteer to go."

Vetra's eyes widened and she laughed, "Are you kidding me? Look, I'm good at making a new identity but, I can't make myself look Human. If I showed up there, they wouldn't let me aboard."

Feron shook his head quickly, "Maybe I wasn't clear about this but, the Initiative is practically letting every species on the Nexus in mass. You'd blend right in."

Kasumi added, "I have two tickets, one for you and one for Sidera. Think about it Mand, no bounty hunters will be able to find you if your literally billions of lightyears away."

Vetra sighed and rubbed her head, "What would you want me to do again? I'm not a spy and I'm a terrible mercenary leader."

Feron stayed calm and shrugged, "I might be wrong and you can just relax there... But, if I'm not I need you to just observe Cora and see what she does. If it's Reaper related, you'll have to stop her."

Jack felt bad for Vetra, he had no idea what he would do if he was in her shoes. On the one hand, she was going to be chased from one end of the galaxy to the other because of Aria's bounty and the Alliance. It was unlikely that she would be able to ever find a settlement in the Milky Way where she could be truly safe. On the other hand though, abandoning everything you've ever known to go with a potentially shady organization to another galaxy had it's own risks. He merely smiled gently at her confused face. This wasn't his decision to make in the slightest, so he wasn't going to try and persuade her to do anything. If she rejected Feron's offer, Jack was sure that the Drell would probably go himself.

Vetra gave Feron a suspicious glance, "Why aren't you going yourself? Your the one who put this all together, don't you want to see it through till the end?"

Feron looked down with a solemn expression, "I would but, I swore to Amonkira my target would be The Illusive Man directly. I'm not as religious as my father but, even I know not to turn your back on an oath made to the gods."

Vetra was staring at the tickets in Kasumi's hand, "How long do I have to decide? This isn't something I'm just going to do for the fun of it you know."

Feron's tone thankfully wasn't pressuring, "Three days, that'll give me time to forward it to Alliance Command if you say no." He turned off the projection and bowed his head to Jack, "I'll let you know if I find anything out in the meantime."

The three of them went back in the elevator leaving Jack with a lot to speculate on. If the Collectors really did provide Cora with the technology to FTL jump to entirely different galaxies, it couldn't be for something good. Was Sovereign trying to lure a specific amount of Humans to Andromeda for some reason? Maybe to make Collector like beings for the next cycle. Or, maybe the Reapers needed some organic material now since the cycle had been delayed and this was the best thing Sovereign could think of. No matter the true reason, Jack knew defeating Sovereign now was the answer. There wouldn't be another cycle if he could stop this one from starting over.

He was about to go in the elevator himself and return to the medbay when Kal and Tali came through the doors, "Jack I...we need to talk, the three of us."

Jack spared a quick look at Kal who shrugged and so he motioned for her to come in, "Sure, what's up?"

Tali fiddled with her hands obviously very anxious, "Jack I've got a problem, and I may need your help. I need to ask you something first though. I need to know if I can trust this won't get back to the rest of the crew. Some of this might involve Fleet security, and with the war, Cerberus High Command cannot be involved."

Jack knew this had to be extremely serious but, he was having a hard time not laughing, "Tali, you have my word. If necessary, I'll contact the Illusive Man to make sure he stays out of it."

Kal circled around her so he was standing next to Jack, "That shouldn't even be a question Tali. Neither of us love Cerberus and your family. What's wrong?"

Tali started to sound defensive but quickly deflated, "Yes I know that I just... I'm sorry this is just really serious. And don't bother, he'd just lie to you anyways. Hearing it from you is enough... I just received a message from the Migrant Fleet. The Admiralty Board has accused me of treason. I'm scared, Jack."

Kal seemed to erupt with anger, "For what?! Talking to me?! Those di'kuts! Was it my father that sent the message?"

She shook her head, "No, my father wouldn't let that happen and no. It was the entire Board that sent it. They all knew about Legion but..if word got out to the public somehow.."

Jack placed his hand reassuringly on Tali's shoulder, "Nobody who knows you could believe you'd betray your people, Tali."

She started pacing around the room, "I don't know..... They don't lay charges like this unless the evidence seems absolute. But thanks, I appreciate your faith in me."

Kal kept his focus on her, "What about the fact that your on this ship? My father could try and say your working for Cerberus."

Jack jumped in glancing between the two, "I know the consequences but, how does a exile's trial function exactly?"

Tali kept pacing, seemingly walking faster now, "I appreciate you trying to come up with charges I didn't actually do but, no. I'm not working with Cerberus. I'm working with you two. And I got leave to serve on the Normandy from my father personally. It has to be about Legion." She stopped at Jack's question, "As for how it works... it's less formal than an Earth trial, or something you'd see on the Citadel. We're family. This is just the worst kind of family meeting imaginable."

Kal took a deep breath, "Okay..... Let's go find the Migrant Fleet."

Jack wondered if that was even possible given the fact that Kal was an exile already. Did the Quarians even let exiles in their airspace? If not, they would have to stop somewhere and drop Kal off. No one on the fleet would believe Kal wasn't with him given their unintentional display to the extranet two years ago. Hiding him on the Normandy was maybe an ok option but, if he was found, it would reflect badly on Tali. Then again, just Tali showing up in a Cerberus warship wouldn't exactly help her case. He wanted to do everything he could for her but, he also didn't want to cause more harm than good on the fleet.

He held up his hands to slow them both down, "Tali, you know I care about you and want to do everything I can for you but, with Kal here and the Normandy being a Cerberus ship, it could be a real problem for you. Are you sure you want my help? I can spare the Kodiak if you'd rather..?"

Tali fiddled with her hands again, "As long as Kal stays on the Normandy we should be fine. They'll probably just ignore the fact that he even exists.. I understand if the Collectors have to come first but, going with my Captain will look better in their eyes."

Jack gave a quick nod and activated his omni tool, "Joker, once Tali gives you a set of coordinates I want the Normandy to get there as fast as possible."

Tali blinked before giving them both a hug, "I was about to book passage on another ship. I didn't think there would be time for you to help. Thank you, Jack."

He returned the hug and he was looking at Kal. They both knew things didn't look good if Legion was the reason for the exile. At least Jack was going to get to see the Migrant Fleet for real.


	50. Chapter 49: My Suit and Me

Jack didn't know who was more tense on their way to the Migrant Fleet, Tali or Kal. Both Quarians had understandable reasons as to why they were worried about getting there. Tali was scared she was going to be exiled for her part in Legion's experiments. He personally felt like there had to be a better solution to the Geth problem other than complete eradication but, he could certainly see the temptation given the appearance of the Reapers. Even though breaking the consensus could have massive implications on the Quarian quality of life, the general public would only be worried about getting more food. If the Council caught wind of what the Admirals were doing behind their backs, negotiations could be terminated permanently. Rather than take the blame, the Admiral's could blame everything on Tali and remain in power.

Kal's fears were much more personal and family related. He was afraid Gerrel had orchestrated Tali's treason charges just so he could see his son again, either to convince him to come back and sleep with a woman, or get the chance to shame him again. Jack wasn't as concerned because of the Quarian law stating Quarian's on the fleet couldn't communicate with exiles. Han may have tried something if they were on the Citadel and other Quarians weren't around but, they were going to be on the fleet. Other Quarians would spot him making an attempt and could charge him with whatever law that communication violated. Kal's spirits were also down because Zero was still being sedated.. Chakwas didn't want to wake her too early, wanting the medi-gel to do as much as it could before she wanted to move around again.

He stroked Kal's gloved hand and smiled softly, "Any last minute tips for dealing with a Quarian trial?"

Kal squeezed his hand briefly, "I lost remember? Just...don't expect a warm welcome. I'm sure my father has painted you as the man that stole their chance at a better genetic structure. Plus, we're in a Cerberus ship so that's another reason most will hate you."

Jack chuckled quietly and kissed the glove, "I can handle a little hate.. But, I've always wondered why Gerrel didn't just take some of your sperm and spread it around artificially? He'd get his way and you'd still get to be happy."

Kal sighed watching Zero's better vital signs, "The artificial process would be too risky for infection from the equipment used. He'd rather I had a harem as proof of concept. That never happened so, he didn't get to continue his little experiment."

Garrus coughed from behind them and his voice sounded slightly robotic because of his helmet, "Do you think this will be enough for me to go onto the fleet with Tali, Kal?"

Jack turned his head to see Garrus was wearing his Archangel armor from head to toe. He also noticed it was a lot shinier then normal and it smelled like a large quantity of rubbing alcohol. Garrus must've scrubbed the armor for the past few hours trying to get it presentable for the fleet. Since Tali hadn't said anything to him about it, he assumed the Quarian ships had decontamination chambers to prevent germs from coming aboard the actual ship. However, he was sure Tali would appreciate the extra effort Garrus took to be with her. It seemed to becoming more and more likely that the two were going to be a couple sooner or later.

He could see Kal's nostril nubs almost entirely fold in on themselves under the helmet and he winced, "Keelah Garrus, how much rubbing alcohol did you use? They might toss you out for smelling like that if the airlock doesn't get rid of it. Just wear a helmet and you'll be fine. Though, I don't know if you'll be permitted in the trial, it depends on the nature of the charges."

Saren's voice came from a similar helmet filter behind Garrus, "I told you they would have the best decontamination equipment in the galaxy. Our armor will be enough."

Jack tilted his head in Saren's direction, "You want to come along as well? I don't think that's the best idea."

The helmet Saren was wearing hid any facial expression he might've been giving him, "If this is about Legion as the girl has theorized, I think it would be a good idea to bring me along. I technically knew him longer than the Normandy crew by a few years."

Garrus grumbled quietly, "It's Tali, not girl for future reference."

Jack stood up and added, "That might be true but, your the reason the rest of the Geth follow Sovereign now. I don't think Legion will be that trusting of either of us if you come along."

Saren stayed still with his arms folded, "I'm coming along if they allow it. No one will even know who I am in this armor anyways."

Jack wondered why Saren was so insistent on going when Joker commed in, "Commander, we've made it to the edge of the Perseus Veil and I have to say, it's really pretty. You'll want to get up here for our final approach to the Migrant Fleet."

Kal stood up with him, "Let's me show you what my home used to be..."

Jack raised an eyebrow surprised, "Shouldn't you stay down here?"

Kal sighed sounding uncomfortable, "Once we dock up yes but, each Quarian gets a password of sorts when they go out on their pilgrimage. It's a way for the fleet to know we aren't being dragged back to the fleet by one of our enemies. Even though I'm an exile, they'll want me to say it."

The lengths to which the Quarians went to protect themselves never failed to amaze him. On Earth, the Alliance usually just assumed a Human coming home meant no harm to them as a whole. Maybe it was a little foolish proven by the Luna attack, but it had worked for them. He hadn't thought about the fact that it would've been extremely simple for a pirate to capture a Quarian pilgrim and take them home with a deadly virus. The effects of which could be downright catastrophic to the Quarian population. While this primitive security system wouldn't stop pilgrims who actively wanted to harm the fleet, it would stop other bad actors trying to get access. He wondered how Miranda was able to get on the fleet before at all with this kind of system. 

Jack went to the cockpit with the others in his palladium armor and gasped at the view. Kal had always been one of the best artists he had met but, his sketches couldn't possibly do the Perseus Veil justice. The clouds of the veil like nebula seemed to capture every color imaginable and reflect them off the clouds into space. As the ship got closer to the swirling clouds, Jack got his first real look at the full civilian Migrant Fleet. It had to consist of thousands of ships ranging from fighters to the size of the Everest. However, not all of them were fully functional and dozens of smaller ships towed the broken ones forward. He had to guess that with such limited living space, Quarians had to stay on ships even if they were breaking down as long as the life support worked. The ships were all structurally similar with an orb in the front and a tail trailing off the back. The military vessels he had seen on Torfan followed this general principle except the orbs had been transformed into donuts and lined with weaponry.

Tali was seemingly waiting for them before activating the comm, "This is Tali'Zorah vas Rayya requesting permission to dock with the Rayya."

A deep males voice he thankfully didn't recognize answered, "Our system has your shipped flagged as Cerberus, verify."

Tali's voice almost seemed like she was singing, "After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."

The voice responded like he was having a boring day, "Exile, verify."

Tali began to whisper, "Kal, you don-"

Kal cut her off when he started to sing, "Sing me to sleep on the starry sea, and I'll dream through the night of my suit and me. I won't fear the heat of a desert breeze, or contaminants high in the jungle trees. Even in space I shall never freeze. Because I've got my suit, and my suit's got me. Oh, I love my mother who holds me tight, and I love my father who taught me right. Oh, I love my ship sailing strong through the night, and I love the homeworld for which we fight. But what do I love like a lock loves a key? What holds fast my heart, head, shoulders, and knees? I love my suit and my suit loves me. When I grow up I shall have a house in the sun, on my true homeworld, where the wild rivers run. I'll plant flowers in soil where now there are none, and there'll be plenty of room for everyone. But till I see Rannoch with my very own eyes, and kiss the sweet ground where my ancestors lie. We'll sleep safe as engines as forward we fly. My self and my suit. My suit and I."

Jack had to admit it was a beautiful lullaby but, he could tell Kal didn't enjoy it. For one thing, it was a lot longer than Tali's and he had to imagine Han'Gerrel didn't give him helpful ways to remember it. He pictured the Quarian Admiral punishing Kal severely for getting one syllable wrong or missing a word. Remembering your password was probably the most important thing for a Quarian pilgrim to do before leaving the fleet but, it was hard to believe Gerrel really helped him. The content was also pretty strange for Kal to have to remember compared to other Quarian kids. Kal was literally the only Quarian in the galaxy that tune didn't really apply to. He didn't need the suit at all now, so why was that his password?

The other Quarian droned on, "Permission granted. Welcome home, Tali'Zorah."

She folded her arms from the fact that he ignored Kal but moved on, "We'd like a security and quarantine team to meet us. Our ship is not clean."

A sigh came through the comm, "Understood, approach exterior docking cradle 17."

Joker whistled when the transmission ended, "If all fleet Quarians had as much energy as him, it's a phenomenon why you haven't taken your homeworld yesterday."

Tali ignored the joke and glanced at Kal, "Why is that your password Kal?"

Kal slowly started to retreat from the room towards the elevator, "My dad thought it was ironic for me to learn as he ripped off my childhood suit. Over and over again."

Tali paused looking at the floor, "You mean the hospital nurse who took it off because it was malfunctioning right?"

Kal tapped the elevator button and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, sure. Whatever helps you sleep better at night."

Jack was taken aback by the exchange knowing they were friends. Did she not believe him when he told her his father tortured him? Why would he lie about that at all? It wasn't as though Kal couldn't prove he had stronger immunities than the average Quarian. Hell, when she returned to the Normandy Kal was dealing with a crack in his helmet and was still walking around and fighting. How did Tali think he had gotten that better immune system? Maybe he was just too close to Kal but, it appeared to be pretty cut and dry. Tali most likely was in denial not wanting to think her leaders could do something like that to their own people. Especially when her father was one of those leaders and had to know what was going on.

Tali hit the airlock button and she sounded flustered, "You smell just awful CSEC, like really. I'm tempted to turn off my scent filters."

Garrus shifted awkwardly and looked at her, "Sorry I just wanted to go with you for support.. I didn't know I could just come over." He waited a few seconds before adding, "Maybe you should just call me Garrus while we're here. I doubt advertising I was CSEC would be a good idea on the fleet."

Tali laughed and shrugged, "What would you like me to call you instead? A plagerizer for stealing your vigilante name from a Human comic book?"

Garrus tapped the bottom of his helmet pretending to think about it, "Plagerizer isn't very nice. What about...handsome?"

Tali giggled for a good ten seconds, "Hahaha, hahaha! Never."

Jack let out his own laugh as they stepped forward towards the door to the Rayya, "Nice try though."

Saren grunted and pushed through the door, "Let's focus on the task at hand. Your starting to act like drunken children."

They entered the airlock in general silence and a white mist started spraying their armor, a different Quarian spoke to them, "Stand by shore party. Decontamination in progress."

It was another minute but, they eventually entered the Rayya and Jack took in the view. The walls were dark gray durasteel held together with patches of newer materials obviously scavenged. He wondered how much of the newer steel was provided by Quarians on their pilgrimages. Jack hadn't really realized how dependent the fleet was on pilgrims. It was despicable that the Council wasn't supplying them for something these people's grandparents were responsible for. He wanted to have the power to at least have the Alliance give them better ships but, Jack definitely didn't have that power.

A squad of heavily armed Quarian marines were waiting for them. They had a variety of different primary colors but, each suit had the same dull gray secondary color and the same suit seal pattern. Seeing them all made Jack realize Tali had indeed 'borrowed' a red version for Kal's personal use. He doubted that was the reason Tali was here but, it did show she cared about Kal. Another team of thinner Quarian scientists rushed by the three of them to start spraying the Normandy's section of the airlock with the same white foam. As long as Gerrel himself stayed away from the ship, Jack was happy to let a team aboard the ship to prevent an infection from spreading.

An orange suited marine drew his weapon in Jack's direction and was preparing to fire, "You kriffing sanark and fa-"

The marine's squad leader, a man in a blue suit, grabbed the others wrist and drew his weapon, "How dare you say that?! Go back to the barracks and wait for me to come back." He turned back to them, "Apologies, I am sergeant Senna'Olam vas Kalom, leader of alpha team. My associate is a bigot to put it bluntly. Captain Shepard, Tali'Zorah told me a lot about you. I wish we could be meeting under more pleasant circumstances."

Jack knew now Kal wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't going to be popular, "It's alright, not the first time someone's tried to kill me on sight. And I never actually reached the rank of Captain. Technically, I'm no longer in the Alliance military at all..."

Senna seemed to visibly relax, "Your the Commander of the Normandy, responsible for the lives aboard it. That entitles you to get the same amount of respect among our people." He put his hand on his heart, "May you stand between your crew and harm as you lead them through the empty quarters of the stars."

Tali mimicked his hand motion, "Keelah se'lai." She whispered, "It's an old ship-captain's blessing, Shepard."

Jack lowered his head politely, "Thank you sergeant, can you tell us any specifics about Tali's charges?"

Senna sighed looking at his feet, "They're charging you, my mother, and others with bringing active Geth onto the Fleet as part of a secret project."

Well, there was the answer they were looking for on Tali's charges. Even though the Admirals had known about and participated in the experiments on Legion, they were charging her for it. Maybe they should've kept Legion at another secure location, but Tali was only trying to help the fleet. If the experiments had succeeded, they would've been able to take Rannoch back and soon. Something must've gone public and Tali was a convenient scapegoat for the incident. It reminded him of something Udina would've done when under pressure. No matter what species you were, politics were politics.

Tali's eyes widened and she sounded stunned, "Act...Active Geth?! I would never!"

Jack put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "Let's deal with that later, Tali. What's our next step, sergeant?"

Senna fiddled with his hands uncomfortably, "Technically... I'm under orders to place Tali'Zorah under arrest pending the hearing. So, uhhh Tali... your confined to this ship until this trial is over."

Tali placed her hand on his to still them, "Thank you, sergeant."

Senna nodded and stiffened up, "Preparations got underway as soon as you arrived. You should speak with Admiral Raan. She's waiting for you up ahead."

Tali led them forward through a hall which seemingly functioned as a street for the Quarians. It wasn't really that much different than Omega really with each family living in identically sized cubicles. Whether only one person, or a family of four, each cubicle only consisted of one bed, one toilet, and one fridge. No wonder illnesses could spread so quickly in the population. The cubicles were only protected by a blanket serving as the front door. Jack couldn't help but glance at each individual blanket as they passed. Similar to Turian facepaint, Jack assumed each of the intricate designs represented that Quarian family. He wondered if the blankets had the same designs as the hoods for females.

A Quarian woman with an almost Middle Eastern accent called out to them from up ahead, "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, I am glad you came. I could delay them for only so long."

Tali threw her arms around the obviously older Quarian, "Auntie Raan! Jack'Shepard vas Normandy, this is Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay. She's a friend of my father's." She slowly let go of the hug, "Wait. Raan, you called me 'vas Normandy.'"

Shala sounded depressed and nodded, "I'm afraid I did, Tali. The Admiralty Board moved to have you tried under that name, given your departure from the Rayya."

Tali looked even more wilted from the crushing blow, "They stripped me of my ship name. That's as good as declaring me exiled already."

Garrus moved to her side and was probably glaring at the other woman, "You know how ridiculous this is right? Tali would never endanger anyone's life here."

Shala gave a very subtle tilt of the head and was seemingly ignoring Jack, "It's not over yet, Tali. You have friends who still know you as Tali'Zorah vas Rayya... whatever we must call you legally."

Jack was looking right at her, "Will you be a part of the trial then? It'll help to have a few people on our side."

Something was off in the way Shala avoided direct eye contact with him, it was almost like she was scared of him, "I'm afraid not. My history with Tali and her father forced me to recuse myself."

Tali took a slow breath, "I imagine Father had to do the same."

She seemed more comfortable talking with Tali but, curiously rather evasive, "You'll see inside, Tali. For my part, I moderate and ensure that the rules of protocol are followed, but I have no vote in the judgment."

Jack folded his arms wishing he could get a read on her, "So what happens now? Does Tali need to meet with some sort of attorney before the trial starts?"

Shala seemed amused now, "Indeed she does... Captain Shepard. She is part of your crew, now, recognized by Quarian law. And remember, an accused is always represented by his or her ship's captain."

Jack looked over towards Tali, "I only know one Quarian law but, I'd be honored to represent you if you'd have me Tali."

Tali seemingly let out a breath, "Thank you, Shepard. I could not ask for a better counselor."

Shala put her hands behind her back, "It's settled then. The three of you can have this cubicle for twenty minutes to prepare. I will retrieve you all when the time is up. I have something to attend to first."

Jack watched her go in the direction they had come from for a moment. He still wondered what her problem with him was but, coming up with a defense for Tali was more important.


	51. Chapter 50: Ancestor AI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't often do this anymore but, given the significance of the chapter....Kevin & Casey by West Dylan Thordson for the second half. Let me know if you want more soundtrack stuff for particular chapters

Kal flopped back onto the makeshift bed in the medbay with a sigh. Just seeing the flotila again let alone the Rayya had been harder than he expected. Despite all of the negative memories, it still had been home for his childhood. After returning to the fleet from his pilgrimage, Kal had made a few friends in his marine squad. They had dropped on Geth controlled worlds together and none of them had cared who each member of the team wanted to have sex with. Then, his Lieutenant had found some male centric Fornax magazines and Gerrel sent him to participate in the Blitz. At the time, Kal had been hurt his squadmate went straight to his father but, it was the best thing that could've happened to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have met the love of his life, or Zero.

The ship shook slightly as it docked with the Rayya. He would have to deal with the inspection team as they came through to confirm no deadly viruses were aboard the Normandy but, that was ok. Kal would let them do their necessary work while he kept his attention on the screen displaying her vitals. Chakwas had assured him she would be notified if anything went below a healthy range, however, Kal felt like he needed to watch it as well just in case. If he had just killed Arnold in the estate instead of stalling, she would be walking around right now probably calling him an asshole. Zero was his responsibility now, and if she wasn't going to be able to walk again he was determined to take care of her. Kal wasn't going to abandon her at some facility like her parents, or his own mother apparently had.

A small groan from the bed made him jolt, "Remind me not to save your sorry ass in the future.. Comes with getting shot to hell and back."

Kal almost jumped off the bed and moved closer so she could look at him easier, "Keelah your awake! How are you feeling?"

Jack rolled her eyes giving him a sarcastic expression, "Never better, like I could run a marathon. Really. Where can I sign up for one?"

Kal laughed while trying not to cry, thanking Keelah she was her normal self, "Let me go get Doctor Chakwas, alright?"

She nodded and Kal left the medbay at top speed looking for where Chakwas could be resting. He didn't know how Jack was really doing other than the fact she wasn't screaming at the top of her lungs in pain. Kal had no doubt those screams of agony were going to stay with him in his nightmares till the day he died. Jack was too young to have to experience that kind of pain. The truth he didn't want to think about was the fact that she probably went through that kind of pain all the time on Noveria. Cora only had him for a day and he had wanted to die, he couldn't imagine what sixteen years in her care would've been like. 

The mess hall was seemingly empty until a squad of Quarian scientists came through the elevator like they owned the Normandy. It was common practice for a team to decontaminate any ship docking with the fleet 'just in case.' What wasn't normal was the Quarian family of three following them and looking rather lost. A woman, man, and presumedly their daughter stepped into the medbay as if they were looking for someone. When he saw the girl's five fingers in a modified glove it clicked, it was Oriana. Had Miranda set up the meeting or had they come on their own? If the latter was the case, they might be disappointed to know Miranda didn't want to talk. He was about to point them in the right direction when Feron appeared and guided them towards her office.

Kal was going to ignore them and continue looking for Chakwas when one of the scientists stopped him and signed, "Excuse me sir, but I'm going to have to ask you to stay put until we've completed our sweep of the floor. Please don't make a scene."

His first reaction was rather surprised that the Quarian had addressed him at all given the fact he was an exile. Just pointing their weapons at him would've gotten the same message across. Then Kal realized the scientist had used Kelr'ya, the sign language must've been a loophole in certain situations. He wouldn't have been surprised if Gerrel had come up with that rule just so he could talk with him at some point. Since Jack was still stable and seemingly not in pain, Kal decided to follow orders with a tilt of his head. As long as the sweep was fast, Jack could wait a few extra minutes for Chakwas. If his father suddenly appeared out of the blue, Kal was going to have to rethink that strategy. Staying here also gave him the opportunity to watch Miranda meet her sister.

Miranda opened her office door looking at Feron, "We don't have anything to discuss Fer-"

Oriana hugged her interrupting what she was going to say, "Hey...you must be my sister! You look just like me, well older but still."

If looks could kill, Feron would've been dead on the floor, maybe even a puddle to be more accurate. Miranda was absolutely livid with rage just beneath the surface. Kal was somewhat confused, Miranda had spent her entire adult life with Cerberus protecting her and yet they hadn't actually communicated before. Why was she so angry Feron had seemingly arranged for them to meet for the first time? Then again, Miranda probably could've arranged a meeting a dozen times over because of her connections and had chosen not to. It definitely wasn't Feron's place to force this kind of meeting without talking to her first.

Miranda quickly regained her composure and smiled down at her, "Heh that's right I am. You probably don't remember me, the last time we saw each other you were just a baby."

Oriana nodded emphatically after she let their hug go, "Mom told me you saved me from my real father. I just wanted to thank you for that."

The Quarian woman stepped forward awkwardly having caught the glance between Miranda and Feron, "And...we wanted to thank you for giving us another chance. I can't have children of my own so..when Ori entered our lives..."

The man finished for her, "It was as though something clicked and we were whole again."

Kal had never seen Miranda so uncomfortable and out of her element, it was interesting to watch her so caught off guard, "I'm just glad your safe, it's all I ever wanted."

Oriana was already picking up Quarian mannerisms and was bouncing on her heels nervously, "Would you want to talk more sometime? I'd like to get to know you and where I came from..."

Miranda got down on one knee and frowned, "I'd love to now.. I just have really important work to do. It's to keep you and everyone else safe."

Oriana seemed somewhat disappointed but, the girl let it roll off quickly, "Yeah...I have homework with Veetor for tomorrow too... Have my omni tool number though. We can chat and watch a vid at the same time or something."

Miranda forced another smile and took the number, "I will, I promise."

Kal watched the two of them hug for a short moment before the family and the science team entered the elevator and disappeared into it. For anyone else in Miranda's position, the meeting would've been nice, a release of years worrying about their sibling. Miranda seemed to just be angry again, furious even that it happened at all. Kal only sort of understood where she was coming from. They were going on a suicide mission beyond the Omega-4 Relay and they might not get to come back. While he wanted to spend as much time with his family as possible before then, Miranda wanted to distance herself from that.

Miranda glared at Feron and turned towards her office, "Fuck you."

Feron's eyes widened and he followed her to the door, "I was just trying to help you."

The door closed and Kal had no interest in listening to the rest of the conversation. He went looking for Chakwas again now that the science team had moved on to the engineering deck below them. She wasn't in the crew quarters, or the private lounge, where could she be? It wasn't like Chakwas to just wander the ship and be unavailable in case of an emergency. Kal was about to go upstairs to the lab for Mordin, the Salarian didn't have a good bed side manner, but he was still a good doctor. He ultimately found her in Thane's room injecting his bare chest with a mix of medi gel and other drugs. The Drell clearly wasn't well, breathing from a mask and coughing. Was he going to be able to help them with the Collectors at all in this kind of condition? Personally, Kal was having his doubts seeing him like this.

Thane took the mask off briefly with a cough, "Kepral's Syndrome. Don't worry, it's not contagious."

Kal frowned having heard of the disease during his time on Dekuuna, "I'm sorry.. Jack's awake Doctor, I just thought you'd want to know."

Chakwas gave him a tired smile, "A Doctor's work is never done on this ship. I'll be right there when I'm done giving Thane his breathing treatment."

Thane shook his head quickly and pulled the mask off again to say, "Go take care of the girl Doctor. I can finish the treatment myself."

He gave Thane a smile that he probably wouldn't see as Chakwas reluctantly agreed and they headed towards the medbay. Kal was extremely anxious to find out how bad the damage Arnold had really caused. Would she be able to walk again? Could she even feel her legs after taking that many hits? The fact Arnold had chosen to fire on her instead of him made Kal more than a little angry. She was just a teenager for Keelah's sake, he should've been the real target. The fact she saved him from getting strangled to death probably made the Human switch targets. Maybe it would be a good idea to discourage her from saving him in the future, if she got to stay on the Normandy that is.

A rather regal sounding Quarian voice stopped him from going in the medbay, "Kal'Shepard vas Normandy, do you have a moment to talk?"

His shock only grew when he saw it was Shala'Raan vas Tonbay, the head Admiral on the famed Admiralty Board. Curiously, she had been the only Admiral to recuse themselves during his own trial. Not his father, who absolutely needed to recuse, but her. She hadn't even acted as a moderator and just sat in the audience while his father ran the show. Was she here to apologize for the circus his own trial had become? Unlikely, Kal didn't even know why she had recused in the first place. The real reason probably was Han couldn't dare face him personally and so, sent an aging Admiral on her way out the door to deliver whatever message he wanted to send.

Kal held up a finger to Jack and closed the medbay door, "If all your here to tell me is that my father is such a wonderful person and I just need to get to know him, don't bother."

Shala took a deep breath and sat down at the mess table, "I've known Han since before he was an Admiral. 35 or 40 years, I'd guess. He was a bosh'tet for the majority of that time."

Kal put a hand on his hip and tilted his head, "So you want to what...? Apologize for the trial? Don't bother, I've moved on pretty well."

She wouldn't look at him and fiddled with her hands, "I remember when you were born. Tali's mother and I had synced up our suits so she could be in the same open-air room for your birth. I was sick for months, but it was worth it."

Kal froze, her non answer threatened to crash his whole world. The implication to what she was saying made him want to cry, and hit her at the same time. Han had always told him that his mother had died from giving birth to him. That her death was one of the reasons he had to go through all of the experiments and medical treatments on the Alarei. So no other child would have to lose a parent to germs. If Shala was his mother, all of that was a lie. Even worse, she would've had access to all the terrible things he was doing and said nothing. She let her own son basically be tortured for his entire childhood. Then, she let his father exile him forever without advocating for her own son.

He took a shakey breath trying to not jump to conclusions, "What are you saying...?"

Shala looked down at the table avoiding his gaze, "She was the one to take you from me and put you in the bubble.... You cried so hard..."

Kal was going to break any second now, "And you just...let him...I. Fuck you, you don't get to ask for forgiveness now. You weren't there, you have no idea what it was like in those labs! You...you just left me to what? Die? Did you even want me..? Was it your idea for dad to tell me you died?"

Shala stood up and faced him, "I was part of the experiments in the beginning. I thought I could control his worst impulses, be more gentle with you. By the time I realized I couldn't shape the research, he had become Grand Admiral of the military. I wasn't going to be able to take you away from him, and I couldn't watch what he was putting you through...so I left. I went to the Tonbay to, forget. I'm sorry."

Kal didn't start crying yet, she didn't deserve to see him upset, "You should've killed him. He tortured me for the fun of it, gave me injections of Keelah knows what, and ripped my suit off at will. Try to forget that you di'kut."

Shala watched as he started to go to the medbay again, "The Alarei is under attack by Geth Rael'Zorah unintentionally unleashed. I'm going to try and get your cyar'ika and Tali aboard, hopefully they'll find evidence of what happened and we can arrest Han. I know it's not....he's going to pay for what he did."

Kal left her in silence, Jack deserved his attention now instead of Shala. She may have been his mother by birth, but his Mom would always be an Elcor baker in a small village on Dekuuna.

_o0o_

Rael was breathing heavily from the gunshot wound to the side of his chest. It was bleeding everywhere guaranteeing the bullet had pierced a vein, he was going to die. The worst part was the bullet hadn't come from some activated Geth, or a pirate trying to raid the fleet for everything it was worth. Han'Gerrel had shot him with Jona's stolen gun so he could take the last remaining escape pod off of the Alarei. The Admiral was so afraid his own dirty laundry would be uncovered that he was willing to kill his own people. At least it wasn't a headshot, he was going to have time to plan ahead.

Legion half dragged him through the door to the bridge and closed it behind him, "I am detecting more Geth reactivations all over the fourth and fifth decks. It is unlikely we will be able to come up with suitable algorithms for your device in that time."

Rael pushed away from him and stumbled into a chair, "Well then, it looks like we're just going to have to make time aren't we? Jona, how are we doing?"

Jona was limbing towards him with a dome like device for his head, "Not the most illegal thing we've done today but, I think it'll work. I mean, it hasn't worked in three hundred years so I can't promise it'll work but, it's worth a try."

Rael had two problems coming straight at him and they were actively working against him. The obvious one was that he was dying, there was no way around it since they weren't on a medical frigate and Geth heretics were taking the entrances. His second problem was that he had been so close to breaking the consensus with Legion and potentially a breakthrough on how to defeat the Reapers. If Legion had been at full capacity he would've trusted the Geth to find the answer on his own, however, even with the few programs he pumped back inside he still only had one logic core. He needed a way to stay with Legion and work together past his own death. Luckily, their ancestors on Rannoch had the answer he so desperately needed.

Before the Morning War, it was common practice for Quarians to have their brain waves copied into a blank AI chip. Upon a Quarians death, the chip would be given to a living descendant for safe keeping. In theory, the AI was a perfect representation of the Quarian when the scan was completed. The reality though was that the ancestor AI was just a simulation of what the chip thought you may have done in certain situations. Since they were banned three hundred years ago because of a general fear against AI, Rael had no idea how accurate the simulation actually was. His hope was that even if he wasn't a perfect copy, he would be close enough to help Legion's one logic core on theories and equations.

He looked up at Jona as she attached the dome to his helmet, "We don't have much time, you should record a message for Senna."

Legion swung his rifle forward, making a show of it, "While I predict a mere twenty percent success chance, I will happily fight to protect you."

Rael's eyes widened, "No! Legion I need you to listen to me. When the heretics arrive, you will kill us and blend in with the crowd. It is imperative that you make it out of here, do you understand?!"

Legion's white flashlight eye stared at him and the metal flaps around it drooped, "I understand."

Jona took a few shuddering breathes before turning on her omni tool, "I locked down navigation. Weapons are offline too. Our mistake won't endanger the Fleet. Hopefully that'll be enough for Gerrel to not destroy the ship immediately. They're going to be burning through the door soon. I don't have much time. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Senna, if you get this honey, be strong for Dad. Mom loves you very much! I never cared about who you love! Ok? You hear me! Promise me you won't settle, leave the fleet and be happy! For me sweetheart."

Rael swallowed hard watching her collapse in tears as she ended the message, "I'm so sorry Jona."

She sniffled and removed his dome when it beeped, "It's ok, this is important. The Olam's will be known for helping to destroy the Reapers.. Legion, lay down."

He watched her start injecting Legion's optical sensor with his brain code and started recording his own message, "Tali. If you are listening, then I am dead. The Geth have gone active. I don't have much time. Their main hub will be in the technicians lab where we used to keep Legion. You'll need to destroy it to stop their AI processes from forming new neural links. Make sure Daro'Xen and Zaal'Koris see the data. They must-"

An explosion cut him off and everything went dark.


	52. Chapter 51: Law and Disorder

Jack watched Tali pace around the small room Shala had provided them for a brief meeting. They both knew she had indeed brought Legion on to the fleet so saying she hadn't was pointless. And while he wished for a different solution to the Geth problem other than total destruction after getting to know Legion, Jack understood the Geth on Rannoch weren't Legion. Due to Saren injecting the consensus with Sovereign's indoctrination, there was no negotiations, no reasoning with the rest of the Geth. So, how was he going to go about defending her in a court he had no idea how it operated? He was still committed to helping Tali, he just knew it wasn't going to be easy.

Saren was leaning against the back wall and was watching her move, "If the rest of the Admiral's knew these experiments were happening, why don't you just point the finger at them?"

Tali's eyes widened and she sounded terrified, "No! Whatever we do, we can't do that. We're already on the verge of breaking apart because of the food shortage as it is. If the people see all of our leaders working on the Geth, the flotila will break completely. We'd never recover as a species after that."

Jack agreed with a nod, "The Council would let everything fall apart because they're bastards. How do you want to play this Tali?"

She stopped and glanced at him, "Senna said active Geth right? That I brought active Geth on the fleet?" When Garrus nodded she continued, "I never did that Jack, even Legion was half dead when I brought him to my father. So, I'm going to tell the truth, that I only brought back Geth salvage for study. It's still wrong but, not what I was charged with."

Jack bit his lip giving her a worried expression under his painted Cerberus helmet, "Do you think that will work? I don't want you to be exiled for just wanting to help the fleet."

Tali gave a tiny shrug, "I don't know Shepard, they could recharge me with that if there's enough evidence but, telling the truth is worth a shot." She looked at the floor and then back up at him, "I know you said you'd be honored to represent me but, are you sure? Han'Gerrel will most likely be a part of the trial...and given Kal... I'd understand if you want me to do all of the talking."

He blinked a few times having honestly not thought about that. While Kal had been more concerned about confronting his father, he was going to be the one to have to actually talk to him. The last time they spoke the Admiral had been polite enough but, that was before he could've known Kal had been intimate with him. That could be reason for him to make a scene all on its own, however, he doubted it. This was going to be an opportunity for Gerrel to show how committed to the fleet he was by ignoring the issue. Jack just had to be sure his own hate for the man didn't seep out. This was for Tali, not getting Han back for all the years he had made Kal suffer.

Shala pushed past the blanket before he could answer, "I'm afraid we cannot delay any longer. Are you ready for the hearing Tali?"

Jack stood up and stared at Tali to make sure she knew his answer, "We're ready."

The four of them followed Shala through a significant portion of the ship to a courtyard. Crops of different foods grew up along the walls of the room and a light mist of water fell from the ceiling. He was sure there were thousands of identical rooms like this one all over the Rayya to sustain the Quarian population but, he didn't think Tali's hearing would be in a place like this. It seemed like it was too important of a space to risk contamination by his presence. Jack realized the real reason they were here was because of the crowd. There had to be hundreds of Quarians wanting to sit in and watch the hearing. Luckily, Senna and some of his marines were patrolling the area to keep the peace.

Jack counted four Admiral's now standing at the opposite end of the room. Even though she was recused, Shala'Raan was taking the head spot with Han'Gerrel standing right beside her. He was wearing the same suit Jack had seen him in during their conversation on Torfan but, curiously it looked disheveled. A few stitches ran along one gray shoulder and he just seemed off. Jack didn't recognize the other two Admirals, one male one female. They were off in a shadowy corner of the room whispering while Shala got the podium ready. The gestures from the two unknown Admirals made Jack think they were arguing about something important.

Garrus leaned close to Tali with a smile under his helmet, "You didn't tell me you were this popular."

He ignored her groan and was close enough to hear Gerrel say quietly to Shala, "Your running late."

Shala clearly glared at him for a moment, "I was taking care of something." She grabbed a small piece of metal and tapped it against the wall, "This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai."

The crowd immediately stopped talking and echoed her, "Keelah se'lai."

Shala took a deep breath, "The accused, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, has come with her Captain to defend herself against the charge of treason. As-"

He was taken aback when Han interrupted her, "Objection! A Human has no business at a hearing involving such sensitive military matters!"

Another Quarian in the crowd stood with his gun drawn, "The Admiral is right! This sanark has no right to-"

The rest of the room gasped when Senna fired a warning shot into the air, "You will put that weapon down now Beviin'Goran vas Moreh. I don't care who you are, I will pull this trigger."

Han held up a hand, "It's alright Beviin, I have everything under control on my own."

As if he was following orders, Beviin sat back down with a huff. Jack had honestly been caught off guard by how Han immediately went after him. Instead of ignoring the invisible elephant between them, Gerrel was trying to use it to his advantage. Kal had warned him that was what was going to happen but, he hadn't fully believed it. Jack had thought as an Admiral, Gerrel would've wanted to just stay away from the controversy. At this point, Jack felt he only had two real options. The first was to just ignore the obvious bias and let the other Admirals handle it. His second choice was to go after the bias in an attempt to get him recused. It would make Tali's trial even more of a scene but, it could help her get to stay on the fleet.

He took the immediate silence as an opportunity to jump in, "I appreciate the concern Admiral but, I'm a Council SPECTRE focused on galactic security. I know how to handle classified information so, I have to wonder where the concern really comes from. Could it be the relationship between me and your son?"

The room seemed too shell shocked to respond and Han readjusted his suit, "Of course not, what the exile does now in his free time is his business. Since you landed here with a Cerberus vessel, I'm sure you can understand my hesitation."

To his surprise the other male Admiral laughed, "Lie to the crowd if you must, Han'Gerrel, but don’t lie to this Board and expect me to stay silent! The Human is right!"

Shala banged on the wall again, "If you were so concerned with our security, then you should not have declared Tali a part of the Normandy, Admiral Gerrel. By right as Tali's captain, Shepard must stay."

Han tapped his fist against his own podium and looked down with a groan, "Objection withdrawn."

While that was definitely an interesting few opening moments, it hadn't gone the way he wanted it to. Gerrel had backed down before accusations of an unfair bias could be thrown around. The Admiral would most likely play it safe now so he could participate in what Jack assumed would be a vote to exile Tali. Since the other male Admiral had jumped to his defense, he guessed that would be a vote in Tali's favor. That meant he just had to convince the unknown female Admiral who had remained silent through the exchange. Despite Tali telling him this would be like a family meeting, Jack felt like so far this was turning into every trial he had ever seen on the extranet.

Shala continued as though they hadn't been through that interruption, "Jack'Shepard vas Normandy, your crew member Tali'Zorah stands accused of treason. Will you speak for her?"

He stepped forward following her lead, "If it helps Tali, I will. But in her heart, she remains Tali'Zorah vas Rayya, a proud member of the Migrant Fleet. And I regret that her Captain is forbidden to stand at her side today."

Han's voice boomed over his own, "No one has been forbidden from anything! It is a simple-"

The female Admiral cut him off but, she sounded disinterested, bored even, "Careful Gerrel, keep making lies like that and I'll move to get you removed from the hearing."

Beviin and the rest of the crowd on his side erupted, "BOOOOOO!"

Shala impatiently banged on the wall again, "Admirals, everyone, please quiet down or be removed. Shepard's willingness to represent Tali'Zorah in this hearing is appreciated. Tali, you are accused of bringing active Geth to the Migrant Fleet. What say you?"

Jack was going to follow Tali's wishes here and said, "Tali would never endanger the Migrant Fleet. She pleads not guilty."

Tali nervously walked forward and added, "I left Geth parts and related technology for teams to pick up. My father ordered me to do so. But I would never send active Geth to the Fleet! Everything I sent was disabled and harmless!"

Han fired back with a voice filled with venom, "Then explain how Geth seized the lab ship where your father was working! The captured ship with its crew slaughtered, or living beings trying to survive in pain, bellies your argument."

Jack hadn't wanted to believe something like this could have happened but, reality was smacking him in the face. Having known Legion was being tortured by Han, he could guess that the Geth rebelled to save it's other programs. Tali's father had inadvertantly provided Legion with enough half dead Geth to create an army of them again. He didn't know how hard it was for Legion to remotely access the consensus but, he was sure the Geth was determined to make it happen. Han must've wanted to avoid taking any responsibility for the disaster. His mind was racing, how should he respond? He could point the finger at Gerrel but, Tali had been clear in wanting to keep the Admirals out of it. After sitting in this crowd for just a few minutes, he couldn't help but agree with her.

Tali sounded clearly stunned, probably for the crowd's benefit, "What are you talking about? What happened?"

The male Admiral had a sympathetic tone mixed with regret, "As far as we can tell, Tali, the Geth have killed everyone on the Alarei... your father included."

Tali was genuinely heartbroken, "What? Oh, Keelah..."

Senna marched through the crowd and even pushed him aside, "Permission for alpha team to leave this pointless hearing and infiltrate the Alarei. It's a big ship, there could still be survivors."

Han was quick to answer back, "Denied! I won't throw away my marines to retake a ship that's already lost."

Senna sounded more desperate, "You can't just do nothing! There are thousands of our researchers on that ship. A single one of them is priceless! We cannot abandon them."

The female Admiral held up a hand, "Senna, your letting the fear of losing your mother cloud your judgment. The ship is already lost with all systems shut down, we have time to decide what to do."

He was honestly surprised the Admirals would rather continue this trial rather than wanting to retake the Alarei. Even if the entire crew had been killed by the Geth, it was still a science ship. Surely they wouldn't want to lose presumedly years of data forever just because Geth currently had the ship. Also, if the rest of the Quarian marines fought as well as Kal, Jack was sure Senna's team was more than capable of taking back the ship. Which made Jack feel like the only reason that Admirals were saying no was because they had dirty laundry on the ship they'd much rather bury. Since Tali's own father could possibly still be alive, Jack knew he couldn't let this go, no matter the future consequences to the fleet at large.

His own tone took his signature commanding quality to it and stood beside Senna, "I appreciate the need for this trial, Admirals, but right now our first concern must be the safety of the Migrant Fleet. The Normandy stands ready to assist in whatever capacity necessary."

Han waved a hand dismissively, "The safest course would be to simply destroy the ship. If you are looking for an honorable death instead of exile, that can be arranged through other means..."

Tali was close to yelling and pointed a finger at him, "I'm looking for my father, you kriffing bosh'tet!"

Shala finally spoke again, "You intend to retake the Alarei from the Geth? This proposal is extremely dangerous."

Jack stiffened showing a stubborn determination, "Honestly? With or without your permission, Admirals, yes. The good of the Fleet must come first... and Tali needs to find her father."

The male Admiral jumped in before Han could argue, "Agreed, maybe you can find out what set the Geth off in the first place. And if you die on this worthy mission, Tali, we will see that your name is cleared of these charges."

Han was obviously speaking through gritted teeth, "We can discuss that later."

Shala bowed her head in Senna's direction, "Sergeant, prepare a shuttle for Tali and Captain Shepard to attempt to retake the Alarei. This trial will be postponed until Tali returns, or a reasonable amount of time has passed to assume death."

Senna disappeared with a flash shoving members of the crowd out of the way. In some ways he felt even worse for the marine than Tali. She at least knew under the surface what was going on here, Senna was most likely totally in the dark. How was he going to react when his mother was involved with researching a talking Geth right here on the fleet? That the Admirals knew the risk of what could happen and went along with it anyways because there was a possibility they could return to their fabled homeworld? Just picturing the number of possible responses reinforced Jack's belief they had to keep this quiet, it would inevitably lead to a civil war otherwise.

Once the crowd and Gerrel had left, Tali stormed towards Shala with tightened fists, "You set me up, Shala! I don't hear that my father may be dead until I'm in the trial? Why?"

Shala froze and didn't say anything for a few seconds, "The crowd needed to hear the shock in your voice, Tali. Otherwise, we might not have been able to let you try to retake the Alarei. That is your best chance at recovering evidence that can exonerate you. I am sorry. We cannot afford sensitivity, Tali."

The female Admiral slowed down from walking and turned to face them, "I would've said yes regardless, the Geth need to be put down. Gently mind you, there could still be a chance to research the active units. See how they operate."

Shala rolled her eyes and shook her head, "The answer is still no Xen, like it's always been. If you'll excuse me, I have a family matter to attend to. Good luck on the Alarei Tali." She left them without another word.

Saren broke his silence for the first time since they arrived, "It sounds like your ideas about synthetics are in the minority."

Xen laughed but it was seemingly sarcastic, "A random Turian mercenary interested in Quarian philosophy? Fascinating. Yes, your talent for observation serves you well. At least on the Admiralty Board. Han’Gerrel sees the Geth as an enemy that must be crushed. On the other hand, Zaal’Koris would have us run away and hide on some new colony world. I'm still convinced Shala’Raan is undecided depending on how the political wind blows. I had thought Rael to be firmly in Han’s camp, but if his experiments were on active Geth, perhaps we have ideas in common."

Jack raised an eyebrow and looked around to make sure no civilian was still here, "If? Come on now, no ones around so there's no reason for you to play that game."

Her eyes lit up and he could almost hear the smirk in her voice, "My apologies Shepard, lying has become part of the..game on the fleet if you will. It's refreshing to have someone who'll cut through the usual osik."

To his slight surprise, Saren spoke again, "If we don’t find Rael alive on the Alarei, what do you think will happen to your plans?"

Why was Saren so interested in Quarian politics? He certainly could care less about Tali's own position for the fleet Jack was sure. Then, he remembered how Saren had asked Anderson what the death toll was on the Citadel and realized this was something similar. Saren felt guilty for uploading Sovereign's virus into the consensus. Even though the Quarians were already in a bad place for a long time, the Geth fighting with Sovereign turned public opinion away from them all over again. He had to know that the Council were much less willing to help the Quarians after the things he did. The fact that Saren was even asking these questions showed Jack he wasn't the same Turian he fought two years ago.

Tali glared at him, "Don't say that! My father could still be alive fighting on the Alarei!"

Xen ignored her tilted her own head with a curious tone, "You have a lot of questions for your average mercenary. Well, the power balance will surely be disrupted. Han loses a vote for his foolish and self-destructive war. That would favor peace, then, as Shala’Raan is too careful to risk her own neck. But if the Admiral replacing Rael agrees with me... things could become very exciting."

Jack folded his arms with a questioning rebuke, "Even after spending two years with Legion, you still think war is the only option?"

Xen chuckled as though she was scolding a child, "A ship travels faster than I ever could imagine. With the right programming, it can choose locations, even defend itself when attacked. But is just a machine. It was built for the sole purpose of serving its master. And it can be dismantled whenever its master desires. Legion is the same, right now he just has the ability to talk back and disagree with orders. Take that away and he's a tool to be used. I wish to return the Geth to the control of their rightful masters, the Quarian race. If you'll excuse me, I have to make sure the Moreh received its food shipment from the Rayya."

Tali was anxiously looking around for Senna to return and Jack also had to wonder how long it was going to take to get a shuttle. Surely the Quarians had a surplus of shuttles on all of their ships since they weren't being used to transport people across the planet. If Gerrel was smart, he wouldn't interfere with what the other Admiral's wanted but, at this point nothing the man did would truly surprise him. Jack would've told them they'd use their own shuttle if he had known it was going to take this long to get one. Every second counted at this point if they were going to be able to rescue Tali's father alive.

He put his hand on her shoulder to stop her from pacing some more, "Hey, are you ok? It has to be hard knowing what's really going on and not being able to say anything."

Her voice was shakey when she answered, "It's not that, I'm....I'm worried about my father. If Legion blamed him for what the other Admirals were doing.. Something awful happened there Jack and I'm so scared."

Garrus came to her other side and put an arm around her, "We'll find him, I promise."

Saren scoffed quietly at that, "The science ship is large enough to house thousands of scientists according to the sergeant. The likelihood we'll find one among thousands is slim to none. The most important thing we can do is find Legion and keep him away from people like Admiral Xen."

Garrus' helmet stared at Saren's and Tali slowly let go of the hug, "You know your brother can be a real di'kut right plagerizer?"

He was about to answer when the other male Admiral from the trial approached them, "Tali'Zorah, can we talk a moment?"

Tali sighed and composed herself again, "Commander Shepard, this is Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib. Do not ask about the name."

Zaal gave him a polite nod, "You got Admiral Gerrel backing up worse than a Krogan toilet. Glad to see Tali's captain knows how to handle a courtroom."

Jack put his hands on his hips trying to not seem too impatient, "I appreciate the apparent compliment Admiral but, we need to get to the Alarei as soon as possible. No offense."

Zaal kept his respectful tome, "Agreed, which is why I'm having Senna'Olam prepare my own private shuttle for your journey to the Alarei. I just wanted to say I take no pleasure in this, Tali, truly. But you have gravely endangered and dishonored our fleet. I respect you immensely. Your actions against Saren are to be lauded. But like your father, you want nothing but the destruction of the Geth... When we could be focusing on working with the Council."

Tali sounded angry and indignate, "The Geth drove us from our homeworld! What are we supposed to be doing Admiral?"

Zaal sounded as though he had this argument often, "Of course they did. We tried to kill them, two wrongs do not make a right, no matter how just they may seem."

Saren tilted his head, "You and Gerrel appear to have some disagreements beyond Tali's trial. Do you think they'll impact the outcome of the proceedings?"

Zaal looked down and sounded ashamed, "You are correct, I apologize for it being brought into the trial. The other Admirals are pushing for war. Rael'Zorah was researching new weapons to use against the Geth. They would see our fleet destroyed in the skies over our homeworld rather than find a new colony and adapt."

Jack had a skeptical tone, "Do you truly believe the Quarians could coexist with the Geth after all your history?"

Zaal shook his head, "You misunderstood me Shepard, I'm not saying we should get in a circle and sing songs together with them. Just that we need to stop obsessing over the homeworld for the survival of our species."

Senna returned to them partially out of breath, "It's ready, you should go as soon as possible."

As they started moving, Zaal called after them, "I'd start in the medbay Tali. You'll find what you need there..."

Tali looked back at him, "And what do I need Admiral?"

He shrugged innocently, "I don't know Tali. Maybe something we all deserve to find out about."


	53. Chapter 52: Treatment Day

Jack always had respect for Tali, Kal, and by extension the Quarian people as a whole; unfortunately, their shuttles weren't well designed. They shook like they were entering a particularly windy atmosphere even though they were only traveling across deep space to the Alarei. At any point, Jack was concerned that the shuttle could break apart and send them violently into space. It wasn't the Quarians fault really, this shuttle was probably three hundred years old judging the turbulence. Humanity had barely mastered flight three hundred years ago so, it was a miracle it was flying at all. His take away though was to just use the Normandy's Kodiak shuttle in the future if he ever got to visit again.

He felt his fear of what he would find on the Alarei growing all the way up to the point that they docked with the ship. How many Geth had Tali recovered on her salvage missions? Were any of them damaged beyond repair to the point that they would be useless in a fight? Despite the Admirals belief that the entire crew had been murdered, was there any possibility they could find survivors? Jack dared to be optimistic on the topic until Tali activated the shuttles lights as they entered the hangar. The spotlights revealed many dead Quarian bodies laying on the deck. The way they were positioned suggested they had been trying to run for an escape craft, only for the Geth to kill them.

Tali landed the ship with her hands shaking, "K...Keelah. What happened here..?"

Saren's tone was professional and to the point, "A calculated slaughter. The Geth consensus most likely wanted to insure no Quarian could escape and warn the fleet at large what was happening. We should move quickly to eliminate them, I have no doubt they'll try to forward their location to the remainder of the Geth fleet."

Jack frowned and shook his head, "They would've done that already if they could have. We need to focus on finding survivors, they could tell us exactly what happened."

Tali grabbed her shotgun and opened the shuttle door, "Zaal told us to head towards the medbay. If my father or any other Quarian survived, they'll be there."

Garrus was tense as he followed her, "We're right behind you."

The eerie silence almost convinced Jack that they were all alone, that the Geth had somehow escaped and left the damage for someone else to clean up. It wasn't true of course, the Geth had no way to escape the ship and were most likely just waiting to strike. The thought merely made him less worried about a sudden ambush as they crossed the hangar full of dead bodies. He was careful not to step on any of the dead as he followed Tali deeper into the ship. These were friends and family to many Quarians and deserved to be respected as such. The fact that at any moment a Geth could spring at them filled all of his thoughts, they were exposed out here.

When one of the Quarian's arms actually moved and reached for Tali's legs he jumped, "Tali, someone survived!" He pushed a body off of the live Quarian to see it was a male in a blue and gray suit, "Let me get you some medi gel sir."

Tali spun around and kneeled down, "Vasa?! What happened, where's my father?"

Vasa was coughing and blood sprayed out of his mouthpiece to go all over Jack's armor, "Don't...mrrgghhnn... sorry, so sorry."

Saren sounded impatient tapping his assault rifle with one talon idly, "He isn't going to make it, we should just move on."

Garrus turned to face him and was clearly angry, "Do you have to say every little thing that goes in your head?"

Saren seemed just as irritated when he replied, "I'm thinking about the bigger picture right now brother. Helping one Quarian is far less important than finding all of the Geth."

Jack ignored them and stabbed a pack of medi gel into Vasa anyways even though he knew Saren was right, it would make him hurt less. "You shouldn't talk right now. Just relax."

Vasa gripped Tali's hand and coughed some more, "Mkk, mkk, mkk.... Could've..stopped, mkk... so sorry." His hand slowly let go of hers as he faded.

Tali let his hand go with a sniffle, "Saren's right, we need to keep going."

A new silence fell over them as Tali stood up and tried to act as though watching him die hadn't effected her. Having watched Kal blame himself for what happened on Omega, he was sure Tali was letting each and every death weigh her down. Jack wanted to tell her none of this was her fault but, he was sure she'd argue it all was. She was the one to bring Legion to the fleet after all, then she brought Geth salvage for him to use against them. She had done both of those things for the survival of the Quarian people but, intent didn't matter in Quarian culture. No matter how the trial ended, the entire crew was going to have to look after her. Jack didn't know how many deaths she could carry on her shoulders before she snapped.

His concern for her grew as the four of them left the hangar and entered a residential zone. It was a maze of cubicles that went on for a good hundred yards in every direction. What must've usually been a loud and bustling neighborhood was as quiet as a graveyard. Several dead Quarians were tangled in their door blankets having been shot escaping, while other Quarians were dead in their beds since the bullets had traveled through multiple cubicles. The Geth had made sure no one escaped alive. While he was worried about how this would effect Tali's mental state, his immediate concern was Geth popping out of cubicles at random. There were too many individual cubicles along the path Tali was taking them on to possibly check each one. He couldn't have asked for a better ambush scenario if he tried.

Garrus' voice was sad when he asked her, "The guy we saw out there, did you know him well?"

Tali stayed quiet for a few seconds while she pushed a blanket aside to look in a cubicle, "Vasa'Nir vas Tonbay. He'd been a friend of my fathers since before I was born. He was kind of the fleet's version of CSEC..."

Garrus got quieter as he swept around another cubicle, "I'm sorry."

Jack wished she could see his entire worried glance under the helmet, "Are you doing ok?"

Tali's voice had an edge of frustration to it, "Of course not Jack, I'm partly responsible for all of this. I can mourn later, right now we need to-"

Bullets started flying at them from the other end of the Quarian street, cutting Tali off. They scattered for cover in separate cubicles along the pathway and Jack counted five Geth shooting at them from similar positions thirty feet away. He fired several shots around the corner of his cubicle hoping the covering fire would give enough time for the others to find a place to hide. Tali's shotgun was useless from this range but, she fired at a Geth hoping it would do some minor damage. The Geth returned fire with his rifle forcing Tali to throw herself against the cold metal floor of her cubicle to avoid getting shot. Garrus used his sniper rifle to kill the Geth shooting at her and helped her up, only to be shot from behind through a cubicle wall. Luckily, Garrus' armor was thick enough to take a few shots but, they all had to remember the walls they were hiding behind were paper thin.

Saren fired his heavy, M6 Carnifax 'hand cannon,' pistol through the wall killing the surprise sixth Geth, "Why don't you fly up in the air and see what we're dealing with Garrus?"

Jack had to kill a seventh Geth that had burst through the wall behind him while the first five were still shooting at them from afar, "Bad idea, they could all shoot him down and he'd have no cover."

Saren grunted, shooting the rest of his clip calmly towards the group infront of them, "I'm not saying he should stay up there forever! Just a few seconds to see what we're dealing with."

Garrus fired through one of the holes in a cubicle wall to kill another surprise Geth trying to take a flanking shot, "Even if it was a good idea, I can't. Rubbing alcohol and jetpack fuel do not mix."

Saren groaned but, they continued the fight without much more talking. Jack felt terrible that they were ruining these peoples homes even further by having a full blown firefight in them, he didn't have any other options though. The Geth were stubborn and determined to not let the four of them advance even an inch, fortunately, they had Saren on their side this time. He used his biotics to collapse several of the cubicles leaving the Geth hiding inside of them totally exposed to the four of them. Jack was almost out of ammo in his assault rifle by the time the last of the eighteen Geth fell with a robotic cry of pain.

Tali stormed up to the unit and took an extra blast of her shotgun into it's optical sensor, "And stay down you di'kut!" She frowned looking over a couple of the Geth bodies, "Jack, we have a problem..."

After looking at a few of the Geth himself, Jack assumed he figured out the problem pretty quickly. Tali had sworn up and down that all the Geth hardware she provided back to the fleet was half dead salvage. Yet, the Geth looking up at him through a dead sensor was shiny and new. The other dead Geth surrounding them had the same new appearance. She hadn't been away from the fleet long enough for her father to smuggle in this many new Geth so, these had to somehow be the same units Tali brought in as salvage. The only logical explanation he could come up with was that the Geth themselves had somehow repaired each unit to look that good.

Saren was still glowing blue and stepped forward, "We can worry about that later, we have more company."

A biotic shield raised infront of them just in time to absorb a missile shot from a Geth Prime. It was so much taller than the average Geth unit and reminded Jack of the mech that killed Tali's squad on Freedom's Progress. He could see the armor was just as thick as those mechs and it was carrying a similarly sized machine gun. Saren was gathering as many of the bullets to his biotic shield as possible and Jack couldn't help but smirk. Having been on the receiving end of this several times, he knew the Geth had no idea what was about to hit him. However, when Saren let the bullets bounce back against it's armor, the Geth merely stumbled backwards for a moment before shooting at them again.

Garrus shoved himself and Tali into cover, "Crap, I thought that was going to work. Any ideas?!"

Tali fired around the corner trying to get its attention, "The only way we could kill it is getting a lucky shot in it's optical sensor. I think we should just try and outrun it to the medvay."

To his surprise, he and Saren both said, "NO!" Jack nodded to him and added, "If we find someone alive in the medbay and they're injured, we don't want to have to outrun this thing back to the shuttle."

Saren was breathing heavily and fired a random shot at the Prime to get it to turn around, "I think I have one last biotic blast in me. Shepard, get into a ball and get ready."

Jack crouched down expecting Saren to jump off of him or something, "Get ready for what?"

He hadn't quite been prepared for what Saren had planned for him but, it was too late now. A biotic field wrapped around Jack's body and he was thrown at a good twenty miles per hour into the Geth Prime's head. He wasn't going to lie and say it didn't hurt like hell to have his ribs collide with a piece of hard metal that fast but, his palladium armor saved him from any serious injury. By the time he sprawled out on the ground, it was already deploying an internal supply of medi gel to the impact sight. More importantly, the Geth Prime's head was laying next to him and it's body had crashed into a cubicle looking very dead. Saren had essentially used his body as a cannon ball and it had worked.

Tali rushed over to him and sighed relieved, "Keelah, your ok. Kal would kill me if something happened to you while we're here."

Jack let out a sarcastic laugh letting her help him up, "Nothing a little medi gel won't fix in the morning." He looked over at Saren, "How'd you know that was going to work?"

Saren shrugged looking around for more Geth to come at them, "I didn't, I just guessed your armor would be able to handle the impact."

Jack didn't say anything to him and glanced back to Tali, "How are these Geth good as new Tali? You couldn't have gotten them here like this."

She picked up the Geth Prime's head and examined it, "A repair drone must've been activated. Until we can find and destroy it, we'll eventually be fighting the same Geth over and over again."

Garrus was now watching one of the Geth units they had killed earlier more carefully, "Any idea where this repair drone is now? I don't think we have enough ammo to fight all of these again."

Tali shook her head and threw the Geth's head as far as possible, "No, we can probably find security footage of it on the bridge though if we're lucky."

Jack picked up some ammo off the belt of the dead Geth, "We'll head there after we get to the medbay. A survivor might not have twenty minutes left. Are we close?"

Tali rolled her shoulders and nodded, "We aren't too far from both actually, follow me"

Thankfully, they didn't encounter any more Geth units as Tali led them out of the residential zone and deeper into the ship. He still had hope they were going to find someone alive but, that hope was dwindling fast as they kept moving without hearing a sound from anything living. Surely if a Quarian was still alive they'd have to be fighting the Geth, and that would make plenty of noise. Jack hated to admit it for Tali's sake but, the Admirals were seemingly correct when they assumed everyone had been killed. When Tali moved to a door and lingered to one side of it, Jack got the picture and moved to the other side of the door. This had to be the medbay.

They kicked down the door and his heart sank, at first glance the room was totally empty. The dust floating around in midair even suggested that the room hadn't been seriously used in a very long time. Had Tali just accidentally picked the wrong room and this was storage? He wouldn't have blamed her for getting a little turned around in here given all of the emotional stuff she was going through. Then Jack looked around and the first thing he noticed were the countless Quarian suits scattered all along the ground, some with old dried blood on the arms, others with Quarian vomit trailing down the front. His gut twisted in knots realizing they were all children's suits and had the same red gray color scheme with an accompanying blue helmet. Other Quarians surely had to have this exact color scheme but, that combined with the blood and vomit made it clear to Jack that this was where Kal grew up. It took all his strength not to puke himself.

Tali slowed to a stop and looked around the room, "F...father always told me this was the medbay, he never actually let me inside but...what is this place?"

Garrus looked around the room, "They kept kids here..?

Jack gulped seeing the medical table with restraints for a small child, "Kid, singular. This is where Han'Gerrel made his perfect little marine."

Tali was visibly shaking but sounded extremely defensive, "I know what Kal told you but, he was confused! He was just a sick child and didn't know the difference between medical care and experimentation. My father told me they never hurt him, they just tried to help him."

Jack couldn't help but get angry lifting up one of the bloody suits filled with injection marks, "Does this look like regular medical treatment to you Tali? Did you go through this? Were you ever strapped to a table like this?! Cause no hospital I've ever been to let me bleed this much on my clothes and just left them on the ground! Or strap me down with the tightest restraints they could get their hands on!"

Tali shouted back with just as much venom, "Maybe you had better hospitals to go to because the Council preferred you Human bosh'tet newcomers over people that have been suffering for three hundred years! We've had to make due with scraps because of self entitled assholes like you!"

Garrus quickly got between them, speaking loudly and looking from one to the other, "Hey! Both of you need to just calm down and take a breath. I'm a cop remember? Let me look around and see if I can find anything before you two kill each other."

Jack handed him the suit and nodded not saying a word. He had gone too far yelling at her like that, she was dealing with a metric fuckton of problems right now. Her father was probably dead somewhere just like all the other Quarians they had seen so far and, she thought it was because of her. Jack was just frustrated that even after seeing physical evidence of what Kal said he went through was accurate, Tali still refused to believe. Honestly, it was pretty Human to be in denial about something your parent could've done. How would he have reacted if a friend accused his Mom of doing something similar to them? He'd be just as defensive on the surface too, deep down though, Jack would be terrified it could possibly be true.

Garrus scanned the suit with his omni tool and sighed, "A-...Kal's blood type at least..."

Tali tilted her head seemingly snapping at him, "How do you know what his blood type is?"

Garrus kept a patient but professional tone, "Kal lost a lot of blood on Omega when he was captured. I had to find the right blood type for Mordin to complete a transfusion.... Anyways, I've counted ten injection marks on the arms and legs just in this suit.. Not exactly standard procedure I'd imagine."

He was somewhat ashamed when Saren had the calmest voice out of all of them, "I've found a recording, maybe we can skip the investigation and just watch what happened here?"

The three of them walked over to where Saren was standing and he hit play on a terminal. Holograms suddenly appeared in the middle of the room like nothing had gone wrong here. Jack saw Kal was sitting on the floor in his little suit, he couldn't have been more than five years old and he was adorably cute. Getting closer, Jack could see Kal was playing with two needle sticks pretending they were spaceships chasing each other. He could tell that's what they were because the younger Kal was making swooshing and shooting noises. Things seemed to be going like normal until an unknown male Quarian entered the room. Kal dropped the needle sticks and shrunk into a back corner of the room as fast as his little arms and legs would carry him.

The male got on one knee to stare at him, "It looks like your doing better Kal."

Tali's voice was shakey and desperate, "Saren, turn this off. Now."

Saren held up a hand, "Not yet, we need to know what was happening here don't we?"

Jack's heart smashed into a billion little pieces when he heard little Kal obviously fake a cough, "Eheh....no seer.. EE'm steell seeck. Eheh...."

The man shook his head scanning him with his omni tool, "My readings show you've fully recovered. You know that means right?"

Kal looked down hugging his knees closer to his body, "Treatment day..." A few other Quarian scientists marched into the room, "If EE'm better though EE don't need treatment. No more gewrms, all better."

The man sighed and looked down, "I wish that were true.. Take him." Kal started to scream and cry as the other scientists lifted him off the ground and threw him against the table hard, "Rael'Zorah with entry 1054, The latest iteration of PerNim went poorly. It only kept the subject ill for a week instead of the desired month to build his immune system. We lowered core temperature of the subject, to a near lethal level, but no beneficial immune system reactions occurred. So we'll not try that again on Kal. Instead we'll give him a small dose of the Human flu." Kal's cries cut him off for a second, "Keelah I hope this works to Han's specifications. The boy can't take much more of this."

The recording ended and Jack was glad he had his helmet on so the tears running down his cheeks weren't visible. Kal's five year old screams were enough to break him right now. He had recovered from the illness Gerrel gave him only to immediately be pumped with another disease. Judging by the number of suits all over the ground, this happened over and over and over again until the Admiral was satisfied with the results. Tali was doing much worse having collapsed to the floor and was shaking in silent sobs. She had seen with her own eyes that her father had lied to her. That the man she clearly loved and respected had been involved with exactly what Kal said he was.

Jack pulled her up and squeezed her gently in a hug, "Hey, this isn't your fault. You didn't know what was going on. You couldn't have done anything even if you did know."

Tali spoke through tiny sobs, "But I didn't believe him...all these years I haven't.. I could've been there for him."

Jack kept her in the hug for awhile longer silently crying himself, "It's ok... we're here for him now." He looked at Saren, "Download that will you?"

Saren quietly nodded before looking down at the terminal, "There's another recording from a few hours ago. It could be about the Geth."

Jack composed himself again trying to focus, "Play it. We need to know what was going on here."

New holograms flooded the room of three Quarians. He recognized an older Rael'Zorah and Vasa from the hangar bay but, the woman was new. Unfortunately, the recording started out garbled and fuzzy. The damage the ship had sustained could've broken the playback somehow, or Rael had manipulated the footage to avoid something embarrassing, like admitting he participated in Kal's experiments. It was frustrating though to watch the three Quarians talking to each other and not know what they were saying. Saren kicked the terminal hoping that would work to fix the problem.

As they watched the female grab Vasa's arm and pull him to face her, they could hear her say, "We were nearing a breakthrough on systemic viral attacks. Imagine our children on the homeworld in the next few months because we acted today."

Vasa tugged his arm free and opened the door, "Then maybe you should share your data with Gerrel and learn to work together on this. I don't know about you, but I actually want to be with my kid when we land on the homeworld."

He left the two of them alone and the woman shouted at the air, "Kriff! Two years of our lives go right down the drain because vas Qwib-Qwib's are all bosh'tets!"

Rael took a deep breath Jack knew all too well as one to gather courage, "No. We're too close. I promised to build my daughter a house on the homeworld. I'm not going to sit and wait while the politicians argue. Are you with me right now?"

The woman looked at him, "I think so, we'd have an easier time of it if we used some of Tali'Zorah's more working material. The Geth could repair themselves and serve as quite the distraction."

Rael practically snapped at her, "Absolutely not! I don't want Tali exposed to any more political blowback than she already is. You either come with me alone or you don't come at all."

The recording ended with the two of them leaving the lab to the right. While the snippet of conversation was vague, Jack sort of understood why Zaal'Koris had brought them here. The Admiral must've somehow been aware of what Rael was going to do and sent them in the right direction. It was also interesting to see Rael tell her no when she purposed activating the Geth when that's ultimately what happened. Did she go behind his back? Had he changed his mind when something went wrong? What exactly were they going go do anyways? The clear lack of solid answers annoyed him.

Tali sounded numb as she started leaving the medbay, "Come on, they were headed in the direction of Legion's containment lab."

Jack made sure they had downloaded both recordings before following her. They would be good evidence when Tali's trial started again.


	54. Chapter 53: Ghost in the Machine

The four of them made the slow trip though the Alarei's many halls searching for Geth or Rael. Jack was bothered by the fact that other than the residential zone, they hadn't encountered any more Geth. Wasn't the entire ship supposed to be overrun with them? He shouldn't be complaining, the fight had used up most of his own ammo and he wasn't sure the ammo he scavenged from the Geth would even work with his assault rifle. The lack of Geth was just something he could focus on instead of the discovery they made in the medbay. It was going to take him a long time for that recording to fade in his memory. How could all of the other Admirals just watch, or, actively participate in the experiments done to Kal? Were all of them cowards? He could imagine someone like Xen actually believed in what Gerrel was doing, but not the others.

Tali held up a hand to stop them, "Jack, look at the ground..."

Upon first glance, Jack didn't know what made this flooring different from any other that they had come across. Quarian blood went in a trail leading ahead of them only interrupted by the occasional Geth footprint. After looking at the dried blood on his armor from Vasa's coughing fit, Jack noticed the difference instantly. The blood trail on the ground had the signature Quarian glow to it. Since the dried blood didn't have the glow, he could assume it was fresher. That opened up the possibility that whoever was bleeding could still be alive. There was definitely a lot of the blood everywhere but, he remembered coming back to the ship after Virmire and Kal had ultimately made it.

Jack started to sprint past her, "Come on, someone might still be alive!"

Saren grunted behind him, "We should be looking for the Geth's repair drone. Not chasing dying Quarians!"

He ignored Saren and kept running forward to follow the blood trail. Jack came to help Tali and the crew of the Alarei, and that's what he was going to do despite the experiments that were happening here. The sound of gunfire only made him start running faster so he could help. They were actually going to save someone and get them out of here. He rounded the corner and found a fairly familiar Geth shooting at several of it's companions. Legion looked exactly the same as when Jack had last seen him on Ilos. Apparently, the Quarians hadn't bothered to repair the old wound from Jack's shotgun, maybe it made him feel unique. The good thing was Legion shot at the other Geth meaning whatever happened in here before, Legion was still on their side.

Jack was going to call out to him and help shoot the other Geth but, Legion was already disappearing through a door on the right. Presumedly, he was chasing Geth that were trying to escape and kill them before that. He was about to shoulder his way through the door when he looked forward to what had to be the tech lab. The door had been kicked open and the Quarian blood trail came to a terrible stop. On the ground in the middle of the doorway was Rael'Zorah, clearly he hadn't made it. A bullet wound had punctured his chest between two ribs and a piece of shrapnel was coming off of his back. Judging by the Geth footprints and lack of any explosion, Jack could only guess that one of the Geth units carried him here after he died.

Saren was the first to slide around the corner after him so, Jack motioned to the door Legion had gone through, "They went that way." Jack knew he needed to be here when Tali saw Rael.

Tali skidded to a stop at the sight infront of her, she slid down next to him with her omni tool scanner, "Father! No, no, no! You always had a plan. Masked life signs, or, or an onboard medical stasis program, maybe. You! You wouldn't... They're wrong! You wouldn't just die like this! You wouldn't leave me to clean up your mess! You can't." Jack put his hand on her shoulder, "He's gone Tali..." He looked inside the room to see if he could see any evidence for what happened, "I'm sorry we couldn't save him." Tali punched Rael's shoulder weakly once and slumped against the doorway, "Damn it....! Damn it. I'm sorry."

Garrus stopped at the corner and looked at them both, "Tali I....I'm sure he would've wanted you to keep going..."

He understood the sentiment but, Jack wouldn't have phrased it that way, Tali glared at him, "Of course that's what he would've wanted. Even while we were on the Rayya together, everything was about what he wanted. I wanted a father who'd take the sick-leave time and let me see his face without a helmet in the way. Instead, I got orders. And this. And a panel of Admirals who think I'm a traitor. Those were my father's gifts to me."

Garrus stood there clearly having no idea what to say, "I uhh.. I'm sor-"

She held up a hand to interrupt him, "I know, I don't need that right now. He had to know I'd come. Maybe he left a message."

As she started looking over Rael's body, Jack noticed he had two omni tools. One was on his wrist as he would've expected while the other was laying on his back next to the shrapnel coming out of his spine. If a normal Geth had carried him here, they wouldn't have rested the second omni tool on his back so gently. That only left Legion as the only logical explanation for him laying here but, why? Was Legion somehow aware Tali was going to come here and wanted to be sure she found them? It was theoretically possible but, he doubted the Geth knew much about Quarian exile practices to know she would come back and so soon. Jack guessed that Legion spent the majority of the past two years trapped in here being experimented on.

Tali hit play on the omni tool resting against Rael's back and an image of his female friend appeared, "I locked down navigation. Weapons are offline too. Our mistake won't endanger the Fleet. Hopefully that'll be enough for Gerrel to not destroy the ship immediately. They're going to be burning through the door soon. I don't have much time. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Senna, if you get this honey, be strong for Dad. Mom loves you very much! I never cared about who you love! Ok? You hear me! Promise me you won't settle, leave the fleet and be happy! For me sweetheart."

Garrus cleared his throat and looked to Tali, "Do you think we should get that message to the sergeant somehow? I mean, he deserves to hear it but, it's pretty clear what she was talking about there."

Tali's own finger was hovering over the delete button, "It was pretty careless of her to openly say that." After a few seconds Tali just put the tool in her pocket, "Jona knew what she was doing though. Maybe giving him a little push is the right idea."

She tapped the tool on his wrist and an image of Rael appeared, "Tali. If you are listening, then I am dead. The Geth have gone active. I don't have much time. Their main hub will be in the technicians lab where we used to keep Legion. You'll need to destroy it to stop their AI processes from forming new neural links. Make sure Daro'Xen and Zaal'Koris see the data. They must-"

A loud explosion cut the vid off and Jack frowned looking around the room. According to Rael, there was supposed to be a main hub for all the Geth on the Alarel somewhere in this room. All he saw we a messy lab room with some dust on one table and an empty chair for Legion. Jack noticed that the chair had very similar restraints as the medbay where Kal was kept all those years ago. Maybe experimenting on Legion had been a way for Han'Gerrel to relive his glory days. The thought made Jack sick again, at least Legion wouldn't have felt pain in the same way a five year old would.

Tali got to her feet away from the body and looked around, "Thanks, Dad. I don't know what's worse: thinking he never really cared, or thinking that he did, and that this was the only way he could show it."

Rael's slightly more mechanical voice coming from behind them made him jump, "Oh Tali. Of course I've always cared about you. I just...didn't prioritize you the way I should have."

When they whipped around to see what was behind them, Jack saw Saren and Legion standing there. The first thing he noticed now was the fact that Legion's optical sensor was green instead of a bright blue. Jack remembered right after they had unintentionally recruited Legion on Feros, the Geth had done something similar. If memory served, he had played a recording of Saren introducing his family to Legion for the first time. However, that was an awfully specific response for Rael to have if this was just a recording, he wasn't all knowing. How could he have known Tali would make that accusation? Legion could have possibly fragmented the lines together from previous conversations he had with Rael hoping to make her feel better. Jack feared it would only accomplish the exact opposite.

Sure enough, Tali pulled out her pistol and marched straight towards him, "You did this. My father and Gerrel were going to finally scrap you so, you decided to wake all the other Geth back up to help you."

He was taken aback by the stern Quarian voice coming through Legion's vocabulator, "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya! Put that weapon down before you poke someone's helmet. Let my friend here explain what happened."

Tali's voice was going to crack, "This...this is a trick.. So I won't shoot you. There's no other explanation. He wouldn't have called you friend."

Legion's light turned to it's typical blue shade and it's natural voice, "Directly prior to his death, Rael implanted me with an ancestoral AI. It was his hope we would be able to continue our work in finding a way to defeat the old ones past his unfortunate demise."

The light turned green again and Rael added, "Copying my consciousness was the only way I could guarantee that I keep my promise Tali. I know you must be angr-"

Tali interrupted him, "I didn't care about that! I wanted to spend time with you! I wanted you to care about what I wanted! Look at the mess you got me into!"

Garrus coughed asking the question he was thinking, "Can we slow down for a minute? What's an ancestor AI?"

Legion's blue light turned towards him, "A quantum electrical scan of the frontal lobe transformed into binary. One's and zero's for the uneducated."

Rael sighed, "In basic it means my brain was scanned into a blank AI slate if you will. The AI slate simulates what I would say or do in any situation."

Tali scoffed sarcastically, "It obviously isn't perfect. You never cared about any of my feelings."

Jack nodded sort of understanding, "So your personality is layered on top of an already functioning AI. That still doesn't explain what happened here."

Legion was standing on the other side of the corner, seemingly hiding from Rael's body, "I can show you up until a certain point. Ancestor AI's malfunction and break down if they become aware of the fate to their actual physical form. It is important to keep in mind that the Creator Zorah inside this chasis is unaware of his counterparts fate."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Didn't he just hear you say that?"

Legion shook his head, "I can shut him down momentarily at the expense of my own processing power. Queing necessary recording play back, this may take a few moments."

Having heard Legion say 'I' now multiple times, he wondered what had sparked the change. On the original Normandy, Legion had always referred to himself as 'we,' to a fault. The way Jack understood it, that was because Legion as a unit actually housed 1,183 individual Geth programs. It was what made him special and able to speak in the first place so, the fact he was constantly saying 'I' was definitely concerning. Had Gerrel stripped out all but one program in his search for knowledge. The fact deactivating the ancestor AI lowered Legion's processing power seemed to support that idea. And he wouldn't put it past Gerrel to throw away a potential resource just because he could.

The wall in front of them suddenly had a projection on it making Jack put those thoughts off for later. Giving the image a close look, he realized they were seeing Legion's perspective on the lab table. To the far side of the room he could see Han'Gerrel was holding Senna's mother, Jona from what Tali said, at gunpoint while Rael was standing next to Legion. His hand was fumbling behind his back looking for the pistol he must've put down on what looked like a medical tray. Jack was frustrated wanting to tell the Rael on screen which way his hand needed to move to get the gun. How did the three of them get into this situation? Was Legion implying Gerrel had something to do with Rael's death since he opened with this?

Rael was doing his best to look for his gun subtly on the medical table behind him, "No Gerrel, you may have ruined our only chance at doing something more than saving ourselves. Legion could help us defeat the Reapers and do real good for the galaxy!"

Han laughed and stayed behind Jona, "When has the galaxy ever done anything for us?! Even as our own people starve around us, the Council puts conditions on sending aid! We should let them burn for everything they put through."

Rael put his fingers around the grip of the gun and Jack saw Legion's arm moving as well, towards the Geth repair drone, "The Council and the rest of the galaxy will treat us with more respect if we actively help them without expecting something in return. How do you expect we will survive when the Reapers have killed everyone else? Where will our pilgrims get the resources we need?"

Jona suddenly shouted making them both jump, "Legion DON'T!"

They both looked at Legion who was holding the Geth drone and sparks went through his arm to the drone, "What do you mean Creator Olam? I was reading a 50-50 percent chance Creator Zorah being injured or killed, I just wanted to help."

Rael looked up at the ceiling as a synthetic voice filled the intercom across the entire ship, "Warning, warning active Geth detected. Warning, warning this is not a drill. Warning, warning...."

Tali clasped her hand to her mouthpiece when a muzzle flash started to come from Gerrel's gun and the recording ended. Well, that explained the bullet wound to Rael's chest. They had been arguing over the fate of Legion and he took the opportunity to shoot him. It made sense really, Rael was probably one of the only Quarians on the fleet to know the full extent to everything he had done over the years on this ship. A loose end that was turning into a dangerous enemy was easy to kill. This was just more evidence to nail Gerrel to the wall, for all of his crimes. Tali's trial was going to have a very different ending than some of the Admirals probably suspected.

Saren tilted his head, "If you could, what happened next."

Legion obviously was choosing his words carefully, "Creator Olam suggested we head to the bridge so we could shut down the ship. It was important the heretics weren't able to take control and cause damage to other ships. You've already seen the recordings of what happened on the bridge. I returned with Creator Zorah to destroy the hub. You arrived shortly after."

Jack tapped his foot trying to think about what to do, "So are all the other Geth destroyed here?"

Legion tilted his head, "Affirmative Shepard-Commander. We make a good team."

While he would've loved to take Legion with them to the trial just to see Gerrel's terrified face looking down the barrel, it was a bad idea. The other Admirals would still want to research Legion after the trial. Furthermore, they would definitely destroy Rael's AI because it was illegal, they wouldn't want to be in such hot water against the Council again. He wasn't sure Rael could help them defeat the Reapers but, if there was any possibility that he could, Jack couldn't throw that away. His mind was racing on how he could get Legion out of here without the Admirals knowing.

Jack turned away from them and hit his comm to Kal, "Hey, what are you doing right now?"

Kal's voice sounded like it had forced cheer, "Helping Jack walk to the bathroom. What's up?"

Zero cut in with a grumble, "More like dragging my feet and not walking but, yeah I guess he's helping."

Jack knew this was going to be a touchy subject so he said gently, "I need you to take the Kodiak and pick up Saren and Legion, off of the Alarei..."

Kal's voice was full of shock, "Your on the ALAREI? Shit... I'm on my way..."

Jack motioned to Saren, "Take Legion back to the Normandy, we might need him down the road."

Legion's light turned green and Rael said, "We'll talk more on the ship Tali. I love you." Legion added, "Shepard-Commander, I look forward to finishing what we started together."

Tali waited till they both disappeared before starting to pace, "Everything wrong that ever happened on this ship is Gerrel's fault! When this comes up in the trial, they'll..."

Jack finished her sentence trying not to sound too eager, "They'll nail him to the fucking wall. He'll certainly lose his Grand Admiral of the military status."

It was hard not to be excited about turning the tables on Han, and not just because he was an asshole. From the beginning it was clear the power that came with controlling the entire Quarian military went to his head. He tortured his son all the way up to when he had to let him go for his pilgrimage. After Kal returned to the fleet, Han expected him to sleep with as many women as possible to spread the genes he had painfully engineered into his own son. When Kal understandably refused, Gerrel exiled him forever. It was something that was terrible to do regardless but, Jack hated him even more because Kal was the love of his life. He dared to hope the other Admirals would reinstate Kal's status with the fleet once Gerrel's actions were revealed to the Quarian public.

Tali shook her head as fast as possible and stared at him, "We absolutely can't tell them, not the other Admirals, not anyone."

Jack understood where she was coming from even though he didn't agree with it. The scandal that the revelation would create could break the fleet apart. Her people would turn against each other between Gerrel supporters and those disgusted by what happened. Some Quarian ships might leave the fleet and it could even disolve entirely. What Jack felt Tali wasn't taking into account was the fact that Gerrel had to be replaced. Another military commander had to be out there and could take Gerrel's place. Did they really pin all of their hopes on one man alone?

He tried to sound as patient as possible, "Tali, without this evidence, your looking at exile! Your dad's death won't be avenged if-"

Tali interrupted him with a shout, "You think I don't know that?! You think I want to live knowing that I can never see the fleet again?! But I can't go back into that room and say that my father was the worst war criminal in our people's history. Because that evidence that you want to so desperately use, makes my father look just as bad. The people will lose faith in the entire board. I just can't do that! I cannot."

Garrus looked between the two of them and sighed, "Why don't you both just think about what to do on the way back to the Rayya? We need to get back so no one's suspicious of the Normandy's Kodiak going back and forth."

The trip back to the Rayya was painfully quiet except for the turbulence in the shuttle. Jack was so angry that Tali wanted to bury this, and that she had a point. If Gerrel alone had been seen on the recording with Kal, he would've released it with or without Tali's blessing. He deserved to burn for what he did to Kal for half of his life. However, Rael had been the one on the video preparing an experiment on Kal. Yes, he had mentioned something about Han in the video but, Gerrel could twist it. What would be the point of throwing Tali's name through the mud even further if the real perpetrator got away with it anyways? Then again, if he said nothing Gerrel would keep doing terrible things. What if he took another Quarian child and experimented on them trying to recreate Kal's immune system? What if he failed and killed the child?

Tali landed the shuttle on the Rayya and the door opened to Senna looking around, "Wher..You weren't able to....Mom?"

She hugged him to subtly put Jona's omni tool in his hand, "I'm so sorry Senna.." She whispered, "Make sure you listen to that alone."

He was crying as softly as he could and pulled away from her, "We better get going, Gerrel started the hearing again without you."

As Senna led them through a residential zone, he could hear Gerrel on a vid screen, "We need to face facts. There has been no word. There is no reason to think Tali'Zorah survived."

Shala sounded shocked, "It's only been a few hours! It was also agreed that Tali'Zorah would not be convicted if she were killed in action."

Gerrel countered sounding smug, "It was suggested, Admiral. I recall no agreement. To that end I call for an immediate vote. With the Alarei lost, I recommend posthumously exiling Tali'Zorah."

Shala sighed, "Very well. Is the Admiralty Board prepared to render judgment?"

In almost perfect timing, they reached the courtyard and Tali said, "Sorry we're late."

Jack followed her to his old spot, "Tali'Zorah vas Rayya saved the Alarei. I hope this proves her loyalty to the Quarian people."

Admiral Xen watched her omni tool seemingly ignoring the trial, "Her loyalty was never in doubt Shepard. Only her judgment."

Shala took the opportunity to gently prod them, "Perhaps Tali'Zorah can offer something to encourage more trust in her judgment."

Jack dodged the question wanting to put them on the defensive, "Would any of you even really care if we do? You didn't waste much time declaring us dead. Go get your ship if that's the only thing you care about."

Zaal nodded regretfully, "I won't deny some of our members would rather sweep this into another cubicle. I apologize on behalf of those members, Shepard. Your success in taking back the Alarei is... very unexpected."

Shala seemingly smiled down to them, "But also very welcome.... Did you find anything on the Alarei, that could clarify what happened there?"

Tali's desperate voice whispered quietly behind him, "Shepard... please..."

The evidence was on his omni tool, he could play it right now. His omni tool was glowing on his arm and could play both recordings back to back with a push of a button. If the residential zone was any indication, every Quarian on the fleet was listening to this hearing. In a short thirty seconds, everyone would know the terrible things Han'Gerrel had done. He was only hesitating because of Tali's nearly silent plea. What he was about to do didn't just effect him and Kal, it effected the entire Quarian race. Could Jack honestly live with himself if the worst case scenario came to pass?

Jack's shaking finger ultimately turned off the omni tool with a deep breath, "...We found nothing on the Alarei that we wish to submit as evidence."

Zaal's voice was frustrated and pressing, he knew everything didn't he, "Tali....?"

Tali looked down at her feet, "I have nothing to say."

Even Shala sounded disappointed, "Then... with no further testimony, I ask those rendering judgments to do so now."

Zaal stood up from his podium and started leaving the courtyard, Jack swore he could here him yell in the distance, "FUUUCK!"

Gerrel chuckled a little amused, "I assume Admiral Koris has abstained then. Guilty for me."

Admiral Xen looked at Gerrel for a long time while rubbing her thumb and finger together, "Guilty."

Shala was clearly trying not to seem upset, "Tali'Zorah, you are hereby found guilty of treason against the Quarian people and sentenced to exile. Jack'Shepard vas Normandy, the Fleet appreciates the passion and honor with which you represented one of our people."

Jack embraced the decision, this was for Tali, "With all due respect, Admiral, I didn't represent one of your people. I represented one of mine. And if you appreciate me, then listen: the Reapers are coming. I'm going to need your help to stop them. Please don't throw away your lives against the Geth. At least until we have a plan."

Shala bowed her head towards him, "So you did, thank you, Commander Shepard. I hope this board carefully considers your advice." She looked at Tali, "Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, you have six hours to leave. Would you like to request any personal possessions from the Fleet?"

Tali shook her head standing tall, "No, thank you, Admiral. Everything I need is right here."

Shala readjusted her own stance, "This hearing is concluded. Go in peace. Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Keelah se'lai."

The three of them slowly made their way back through the residential zone towards where the Normandy had docked. Jack was going to wrestle with his decision for a long time to come now. What was he going to tell Kal? That he had the opportunity to make his father pay for all of the things he did to Kal and didn't take it because of Tali? It was what she wanted, and it was her trial, so it should always be up to her. He just couldn't shake the nagging feeling he could've made life better for Kal by revealing the truth. It probably wouldn't have been, Quarian homophobia would exist with or without Gerrel but, still.

Garrus felt like he had to break the uncomfortable silence, "So, how are you feeling as an exile?"

Tali was staring right at him so he knew she was talking to him, "It's not what I had hoped for either. But the good of the people comes first. My father taught me that. Thank you for honoring my decision. It means more to me than... It means a great deal. It's strange, I know what I'm leaving. I'm just not sure where I'm going.

Jack put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and he smiled, "We're going home, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. Come on."

As they were about to leave through the airlock, Shala came running towards them carrying a large black bag, "Commander Shepard, before you go, please accept this gift in appreciation for you taking the time to represent one of our people."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "Can I ask what it is?"

Shala caught her breath and gave him that same mysterious look as when they arrived, "I'm afraid not. Your cyar'ika will understand what's inside. Safe travels Normandy."


	55. Chapter 54: Truth or Dare

Jack stepped into the medbay, honestly feeling exhausted from the ordeal on the Alarei. He would now have to live with knowing he could've taken Gerrel down permanently and chose not to. In the long run, it was probably the right call, an unified Quarian fleet would be needed in a fight against the Reapers. Having seen it's size, he was sure the Quarians had the single largest fleet in the galaxy. While most were civilian ships, combined with the Council forces they'd be a powerhouse. He had been too close to the issue anyways to make any other rational choice, plus it was what Tali wanted. She may have had her own biases clouding her judgement but, it was her trial and her people. It was her right to tell him no about using the evidence.

A frown must've crossed his face when he only saw Zero in the medbay wrapped up in a few blankets. Was Kal stuck downstairs dropping Saren and Legion off? Or a worse possibility, had Quarian marines detained them? That thought washed away a second after he came up with it, Joker wouldn't have left the system without Kal. He knew just as well as everyone else on the ship that the two of them were together. Kal was probably just getting some food or talking to Legion and so, Jack sat down next to her bed waiting for him to return. Now that he was in his old seat, Jack noticed Sidera and Vetra were gone too. He was relieved that Ashley's stray shots hadn't caused any serious damage. However, he did wonder if Vetra was going to take Feron's offer and go to Andromeda.

Zero opened an eye and looked at him, "You don't have to both keep sitting here you know. I'm alive, just trying out how to be a cripple for a few weeks."

Jack chuckled with a smirk, "I think everyone knows your alive Jack. We're just worried about your recovery and want to be there every step of the way. Did Chakwas tell you how long it will take for you to be able to walk again?"

Zero looked at her hands and had a forced cheery tone, "Two weeks supposedly, with a cane that is."

He thought that was awfully fast, "Two weeks huh...? Is that what Chakwas actually said, or what you wanted to hear her say?"

Zero gave him a glare, "A month and a half before I should even try without help.... I just, don't want to have to leave to some shitty facility. They all smell the same and I'm scared I won't be safe."

Here was another problem Jack didn't need right now. In reality, Zero wasn't safe here between the possibility of Cerberus stabbing them in the back and the fact they were going after the Collectors. Jack felt slightly better about having the sixteen year old around when she could fight because of her biotics. She had literally torn the Collector ship a new one, with the help of the drive core, it was still the most damage they had done to the Collectors so far. Now that Zero was injured though, he didn't feel good about having her around. She could get hurt unecessarily because they weren't able to protect her in a firefight. At the same time, he couldn't just bring her to Grissom Academy because of the events at Hock's estate. Admittedly, he had been back and forth on this multiple times but, now she was awake and probing for an answer.

Jack leaned forward and took a reassuring tone, "We're going to keep you safe no matter what, understand? Why do you think we made a bed here just to be close to you?"

Zero had a sarcastic edge to her answer, "Because you like watching girls sleep? You are some creepy fuckers."

Jack shook his head with another laugh, "Trust me, I have the drawings to prove Kal is only interested in my sleeping. It's because we care about you. If you want to be here in all the middle of this drama, I'm not going to force you away. But, this isn't the safest place in the galaxy right now either."

Zero looked up at the ceiling for a moment, "I know but, I feel safe here... I want to stay, I feel.. Fuck it. Don't tell him I said this but, Kal's been the closest things I've had to a normal life. He's a consistent asshole and he is so..nice to me.. Your all he talks about in that annoyingly sweet rainbows-and-butterflies kind of way. You'd think you were the second coming the way he talks about you. He loves you, Shepard. Promise me you'll be good to him?"

Jack raised an eyebrow a little confused and lifted the hand with his wedding ring, "I'm not going anywhere. Is he still worried I'll leave?"

She gave him a serious glance, "No, like I said he loves you. I just, after I got shot I started thinking about mortality. If something happens to me one of these days, I need to know he'll have you to lean on. Promise me."

Jack gave her a genuine smile pretending not to hear the medbay door open, she needed to hear him say it, "I promise. I'd like to remind you that your only sixteen though. Your going to have plenty of time to be dragged around by the two of us." 

Kal's voice came from behind them, "Are you worrying about me again? Do I have to drag Chakwas back in here and have her tell you worrying isn't good for your recovery?"

Zero glared at him, "Yeah, yeah easier said than done. All she has to worry about is knitting at her age. What did you try and cook for me this time?"

Kal had a plate of food in his hand while looking at it anxiously, "I think it's called mac and cheese...? I saw it on the extranet as 'comfort food.' I thought since we almost fell down getting you to the bathroom, you deserved that."

As soon as he put the food in front of her, Jack stood up and wrapped his arms around Kal. He had always known the Quarian had been through a lot thanks to his father, seeing it was something else. Kal was an adorable kid that just wanted a normal life of toys and games. Instead, he had spent most of his childhood in one room with all his old suits. He was clearly surprised by the gesture but, soon enough Kal returned the close hug. Jack even gave him a short, tender, gentle kiss on the mouthpiece. Afterwards, Jack let him go trying not to look too upset. If he could avoid talking about what he had seen on the Alarei, he'd feel better. There was no need to make Kal relive any of those moments.

Zero looked at them over the bowl of food, "You two can definitely take that upstairs. I'm not watching the both of you suck face."

Kal rested his helmet on Jack's forehead obviously trying to get a read on what was wrong, "Then don't watch." He teased her before smiling and whispering, "I'm ok, what happened?"

Since the medbay door was open, Vetra's loud voice interrupted him, "Sid! Do not tell me you drank all the Serrice Ice Brandy?! You know your too young for that shit!"

Sid's softer voice yelled from their makeshift quarters, "I haven't had time since you told me to pack all of our stuff. For whatever reason..."

Jack motioned to the door with a head tilt, "I'll be right back. I know who drank it all."

Kasumi flashed into existence next to Vetra and whistled innocently, "I may have taken the liberty of sharing the bottle with Chakwas awhile ago."

Vetra glared at her with her mandibles lightly twitching, "Of course you did..."

Jack raised an eyebrow suspiciously, "Something wrong Vetra? I think we have plenty of other alcohol in the fridge."

Vetra grumbled closing the fridge door with the empty bottle still in hand, "Yeah, but Serrice Ice was the only kind levos and dextros can enjoy." She gave him a defeated look, "I'm going on that trip we talked about tomorrow and wanted me, you, and Kal to have a drink for old times sake."

It took him a few seconds to realize why she was being so vague about her decision to go to Andromeda. Then he remembered his cabin was one of the only places on the ship that didn't have surveillance devices. She was being smarter than he was in this situation. Jack was glad someone was going to go to Andromeda with the Initiative to keep an eye on Cora but, he was worried about Vetra. If the Initiative really was a front for something sinister as Feron believed, Vetra wasn't going to have any back up to help her. Then again, she didn't have any choice but to go if she didn't want to be arrested by the Alliance or killed by bounty hunters. He didn't envy the position she was in, both options were shitty.

Jack nodded and started to reach for his omni tool, "Do we need to drop you off anywhere? I can get the Normandy moving."

Vetra shook her head quickly, "It'd be better if we stayed near this Mass Relay actually. My old smuggling ship is on the way now. I guess we could all just sit around with different alcohol."

Kasumi jumped in before he could agree, "What if instead, we actually make your departure memorable and play spin the bottle edition of truth or dare?"

Sidera's enthusiastic voice came from their quarters, "Ooh yes! Can I play?!"

Vetra scowled yet again in Kasumi's direction, "No! You get to keep packing."

Sid responded sarcastically, "Right, because we have so much to pack. I mean, I don't know what I'd do without this stupid lamp."

Jack chuckled a little smirk traveled across his face, "I hate to tell you Kasumi but, truth or dare is usually a game for single people." He raised the hand with his ring on it, "You aren't getting me to kiss one of you."

Kasumi wasn't phased showing off a grin, "So we add Tali and Garrus to the game. We get to ask you two all of the truth stuff and them all the dares."

Jack frowned at her, "Tali's father just died and she was exiled from her people. I don't think she'll be in the mood to play a game of any kind with anyone."

Kal sighed from the doorway, "She didn't want to ruin my father's reputation.. Right?"

He hadn't been looking forward to this conversation in the slightest and had wanted to put it off. However, the fact that they had been on the Alarei combined with Tali's exile made it clear to the Quarian that they had seen something. Would Kal be angry with one of them or both because they hadn't taken the opportunity to destroy him? Jack definitely would've been if their roles were reversed, it was unlikely anyone else was ever going to get to use that vulnerability against Gerrel in the future. Looking at him though, Jack saw Kal's slumped shoulders, he was just sad for his friend. He knew what being an exile was like for the past three years and obviously didn't want that for Tali.

Jack answered quietly, "Not just your father. We saw a recording of an experiment Rael-"

Kal interrupted him with a raised hand and a nod, "I think I get the picture. We should keep her company though." He looked inside the medbay, "Jack, will you be ok for a few hours by yourself?"

Zero rolled her eyes before meeting his gaze, "I'm sixteen not ten. Go and have some fun without me will you?"

Jack looked back inside the room with a smile, "We'll be back in the morning and I'll try making you breakfast. I gotta be better than an alien making it right?"

Zero seemed suspicious, "Have you ever actually cooked anything before?"

He smiled wanting to tease her, "First time for everything."

Vetra looked between the two of them, "Are you two sure? I don't want to create anymore drama than Tali already has."

Kal shrugged seeming uncertain, "I know when I was first exiled I would've wanted someone to tell me everything was going to be ok. If she says no we'll do it without them but, it's not going to hurt to get her mind off of it for awhile."

Jack agreed and the four of them went into the elevator to engineering. Once the doors opened, they probably all started to question whether or not coming down here for a game night invitation was a good idea. Kenneth and Gabby were sitting outside of the drive core room while they could hear shouting from within. He could pick up Tali and Rael's voices yelling at each other. If this was going to be the new norm, Jack was going to have to separate them to different floors of the ship.

When Jack and Kal entered the drive core bay, Tali was yelling, "No, this one goes here and that one goes there. Right? You could've just made the whole ship combust if I didn't stop you."

It was still jarring to hear the Quarian's voice coming from Legion's body, "I am 67 years old Tali, I think I know how to manipulate drive cores. My way will enhance shield capacity by thirty percent."

Legion added with an eager tone, "I have calculated all of elder Creator Zorah's numbers and they are accurate. I hypothesize it is younger Creator Zorah's time of the month, as organics put it."

Tali and Rael both sounded disgusted, "Legion!"

Jack coughed since there was a lull in the argument, "So...how's everyone doing?"

Legion spoke before they could, "Not well Shepard-Commander. I have recorded thirty-three outbursts between the Zorah's since my arrival with Creator Reegar. At this rate, I calculate a total of two hundred disagreements per day. I suggest-"

Rael interrupted him, "If Tali would just tell me what's wrong, I'm sure we would be able to work it out."

Tali was about to snap so, Kal just put a hand on her shoulder, "Why don't you take a break? Kasumi's starting a game of truth or dare and we thought you could join in."

She didn't answer him immediately instead she threw her arms around him into a hug, "Your...your not mad at me?"

Kal laughed at her cheerily as he returned the hug, "Tali...you frustrate me sometimes.. I'm sure I frustrate you occasionally too, but why would I be actively mad at you?"

Tali let out a sniffle and squeezed him close, "All these years I've tried to convince you what happened to you wasn't what actually happened.. I didn't make sure anyone would pay for it and-"

Kal turned his head back and forth, "Tali, that isn't your fault. Now that we're both exiles, we're going to have to look out for each other. Come on, take a break and have a little fun with us."

She let go of him and looked around, "I don't know...I have twelve million more things to do on the drive core and then the engines nee-"

Rael cut her off, "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, you have had a long day and will make mistakes if you continue at this pace. I am totally capable of managing this drive core for a few hours."

Legion finished for him, "This unit will ensure all calculations are correct going forward, Shepard-Commander."

Tali kept her tone short, "Thanks dad."

Jack couldn't begin to imagine what she was going through right now. He was sure she wanted to ask her father a million questions about the Alarei, maybe even chew him out for his role in Kal's experiments. The problem was Rael was gone now and yet his ancestor AI believed everything was fine. If she confronted it and said the wrong thing, she could risk destroying the only piece of him she had left. The worst thing his mother had done to him was not prepare him for the possibility of being on the Turian Hierarchy. Rael had tortured Tali's best friend, probably for years, and had unintentionally framed her with the deaths of everyone on the Alarei. It was honestly a miracle she had been able to bite her tongue for this long.

He looked behind him only to see Vetra, "Where's Kasumi?"

Vetra pointed at the elevator, "Got Garrus and went to your cabin to get setup apparently."

Tali walked past them to the elevator pushing the up button, "This should be interesting then. What exactly is truth or dare?"

_o0o_

The four of them entered the room a moment later to see Garrus and Kasumi were moving his furniture around. Jack didn't mind both of his useless couches and a table getting shoved into a corner. Hell, if he had his way he would dare Vetra take them on her trip. Unfortunately, he was sure the Andromeda Initiative didn't need couches either. Even if they were up to something bad, survivalist gear was going to be the name of the game. He didn't spend enough time up here to make use of furniture for something casual. When he was up here, Jack was usually curled up next to Kal or, attempting to break the bed with him. Maybe they could invite the crew up more often.

Kasumi put the Serrice bottle on the floor and pointed the top at her self, "So, here's how this is going to work. We take turns spinning the bottle and wait till it lands on anyone." She performed a demonstration with the bottle ultimately pointing at Vetra, "Ok Mand, truth..or dare?"

Vetra rolled her eyes thinking she was being too dramatic for a demo, "Truth."

Kasumi smirked glancing at Tali, "So since she said truth, I get to ask a question I want to know about our Turian friend. For example, how's sex with Garrus?"

Everyone's eyes widened and Garris even spat out whatever he was drinking. Tali just looked at the floor, "Oh.."

Jack noted Tali's rather open reaction and was surprised, she really did care about him. He had been routing for them for a long time but, he thought some unknown invisible force was going to keep them apart. They were both shy to each other deep down and no amount of gentle proding on his part had gotten them to break that. His hope was Garrus would see her reaction to the question and get the hint. She looked extremely depressed with her eyes duller than he had ever seen them and her shoulders slumped. Kasumi had unintentionally made her droop with the implication that Garrus and Vetra were sleeping together.

Not wanting to upset Tali further by hearing an answer, Jack rubbed his chin and reached for the bottle, "I think we got it Kasumi. I'll start."

Vetra grabbed his wrist while looking directly at Tali, "Awful." Garrus coughed, his mandibles fluttered before she continued, "It wasn't his fault! I'm sure he was a lot more gentle then other drunk guys but, I had already melded with Ar..an Asari. Nothing can compete with that."

Tali looked back up at her with her eyes far less dull, "Oh, that's nice." She looked over at Garrus, "What happened to Chloe?"

Kasumi snapped a finger before he could answer, "Nuh uh, not how the game works. Now Vetra gets to spin and we start over again."

Kal glared at her, "You should just let him answer the question."

Kasumi gave him a defensive look, "She can ask him if she gets the bottle on him. Mand, your up darling."

Vetra let the cool bottle rattle and roll along the deck before it landed on Garrus, "What'll it be Mr. Archangel?"

Garrus rubbed the back of his neck, "Dare I suppose. Your dangerous asking me anything about myself."

Vetra gave him a wild smirk, "I can still be dangerous no matter what. I dare you to....tell us about your first time ever."

Garrus had to force himself not to spit out what he was drinking again and looked at Kasumi, "Can she do that? That was basically a truth in disguise."

Kasumi winked at Vetra, "You can refuse but, then everyone else gets to dare you to do something that you have to do. And at least one of us will probably ask that anyways."

Jack grinned at him encouragingly, "Tell you what, I'll tell you about mine someday if you tell us right here, right now."

Garrus sighed looking shyly at them, "Your all going to pay for this... So, Turian ships have training rooms for exercise, combat sims, even full-contact sparring. Whatever lets people work off stress. It’s supervised, of course. Nobody is going to risk an injury that interferes with the mission. And it’s a good way to settle grudges amicably. I remember right before one mission, we were about to hit a Batarian pirate squad. Very risky. This recon scout and I had been at each other’s throats. Nerves, mostly. She suggested we settle it in the ring."

Tali's eyes widened, "Tell me you didn't have sex in the gym for all to see."

Garrus' mandibles were fluttering about signalling he was very embarrassed, "Let me finish. It was brutal. After nine rounds, the judge called it a draw. There were a lot of unhappy betters in the training room. We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach, but she had flexibility. More than one way to work off stress, I guess."

Kal folded his arms, "Impressive you didn't get caught, I'm sure you were both very obvious what you were going to do." He paused and looked towards Jack, "My first time was with my commanding officer next to a Fornax magazine."

Jack's eyes widened realizing he was talking about them, "You..you never told me that." He gave a crooked smile wanting to tease him, "It was good I assume? With this commanding officer I mean?"

Kal elbowed him playfully, "The magazine? It was a terrible representation of the Quarian people Shepard. Just a Human painted purple as I recall."

Kasumi snapped a finger and playfully interrupted their not so subtle flirting, "What did I say about talking and asking questions? Garrus, give it a spin."

Garrus rubbed his hands together making a show out of reaching for the bottle, "Alright, which one of you do I get to pay back?" The bottle landed on Jack, "Ah crap, the most boring guy in here. Truth or dare..?"

Jack chuckled pretending to glare at him, "I am not boring, and to prove it to you I will pick dare."

Garrus grinned at him as if he was going to make him strip, "I dare you to.... open the big black bag Shala gave you."

The room groaned almost in unison, "Lame..."

Kal sounded a little angry to his surprise, "She gave you something? When? Why?"

Jack raised an eyebrow feeling confused, "For representing Tali in the trial... Should I not open it?"

Kal was stroking two of his fingers back and forth seemingly annoyed, "It's your dare, go ahead..."

He was still confused about Kal's reaction to Shala as he made his way to the bag he had set down. Given Shala's own interactions with him could best be described as odd, maybe he was missing something. Had she been another scientist in Kal's experiments? Or, had she just helped Gerrel cover his tracks after Kal left the fleet? He put the questions aside and unzipped the bag only to take a sharp breath. Inside was a freshly woven Quarian blanket like the ones hanging from each residential cubicle. It was red and had the white swirling designs from Kal's hood. Giving it a closer look, Jack could see small N7 symbols attached to some of the swirls. Jack didn't have to ask Tali to get the cultural significance, Shala had legitimized them as a Quarian family.

His mind was racing and he coughed trying to decide what to do, he had a feeling this wasn't something he should casually whip out. "I uhh, I think your all going to have to dare me to do something else."

Kasumi rolled her eyes, "Oh come on, is it a sex toy?"

Tali stood up, "Let me go check." He made no move to hide it from her and she gasped, "Oh Keelah. Go ahead and show it."

Jack lifted the blanket up and turned so Kal could see it, "It's just a blanket..."

Kal got to his feet as well and ran his fingers across it to make sure it was real, "...I guess this is her way of saying sorry." When Jack raised an eyebrow Kal whispered, "I'll tell you later."

Vetra tilted her head in confusion, "I don't get it, isn't that just a blanket?"

Tali quickly explained, "Yes but, whenever two Quarians move into the same cubicle to start a family, the Admiral of their ship commissions a blanket. The designs are from both prior families and signifies what could be considered a marriage in other cultures. The fact that Shala did this makes the marriage much more official in Quarian law. It would've been a huge scandal if Shala had gotten caught."

Jack kissed him on the mouthpiece and grinned, "Wanna hang it on the door?"

Kal bounced on his feet nervously, taking the blanket, "It would just get in the way of actually opening the door. We'll put it on the bed for now."

Kasumi was glaring at Garrus, "I mean, I'm happy for you Shep but, that was a lame ass dare Garrus."

Garrus gave her an innocent expression, "What? I've never played this before. What did you want me to say?"

Kasumi tapped her chin, "I don't know, something like 'I dare you to give Kal a lapdance?'"

Kal shook his head with a laugh as he returned to his seat, "We would have to kick you all out in a few seconds if that started."

Jack sat down again and cracked his knuckles while reaching for the bottle, "Well, let's see who gets to be my actual victim."

The bottle rolled around and landed on Kasumi who was trying to read his face, "Truth, because I do not like that look."

He could've gone with a dirty question but decided against it, "Why are you still on the Normandy? Don't get me wrong, we need your skills. I just don't understand why a thief would stay after she got what she needed. The Reapers aren't the type of thing your used to dealing with I'd imagine."

Kasumi didn't answer for a long moment staring ahead at the wall before looking at Garrus, "The night I stole the blueprints from Afterlife for you I heard the three gang leaders talking about attacking someone together but, I was too scared to stay and find out who. If I had, your team wouldn't have gotten killed. I guess I'm trying to atone for that."

A silence fell over the room until Kal said, "It wouldn't have mattered...Cora always gets what she wants eventually. I appreciate you telling the truth though."

Kasumi avoided Garrus' angry stare and quietly spun the bottle, "Alright Tali, you know the drill by now."

Tali puffed up, "Dare, because I want to live a little."

Kadumi pointed to Garrus and was straight to the point, "Kiss him."

Jack held up a hand, "Let's not dare anyone into something that could potentially ki-"

He was interrupted when Tali leaned right in and opened her mouthpiece. At first, Jack just thought she was going to give him a kiss on his good mandible and call it good enough. That would be short, simple, and not too much risk to her health involved. However, her gloved three fingered hand cupped his bad mandible tenderly and they started kissing. Since Garrus' mandibles didn't completely seal against his mouth, they could all see Tali's and Garrus' tongues mashing together. He got just a little uncomfortable hearing them both moan and seeing Garrus grab her shoulder to pull her closer.

Kasumi cleared her throat, "Ahem... I said kiss, not explore each others throat."

Garrus pulled back just a fraction of an inch and it was the happiest he had probably ever seen him, "Sorry, I think my mandible got caught in there for a second."

Tali lingered very close to him for a few more seconds and whispered in a soft voice, "I didn't mind.." She turned back to the group looking flustered, "Whose turn was it again..?"

Kal's eyes were glowing brightly and Jack could tell he was smiling from ear to ear, "Yours Tali."

She spun the bottle regaining her composure, "Ooh alright Jack you don't get to pick, I have a dare for you."

Jack chuckled amused, "Ok, shoot."

Tali sounded like she was up to something, "First, I want you to open the message I sent you about Kal's new suit and read it aloud. I know you haven't had time to open it before so don't lie."

Jack opened his omni tool and took a deep overdramatic breath, "Hey Jack, I just wanted to let you know.... that I installed the Nerve-Stim Pro: Deluxe Human Male Edition into Kal's new suit. Here is the password and let me know if it works. I've rigged it since we don't officially make them for gay gu-"

The other aliens in the room started laughing and Kal yanked his arm to read the message, "You did not!"

Jack looked between the two of them confused, "What's a Nerve-Stim Pro?"

Tali started to stand up, "We're all going to go now since it's getting late. I dare you to turn it on and find out when we're gone."

Kasumi gave her a high five as they started leaving, "And I thought I was the dirtiest one here."

Vetra waited for the other three to go before giving them both a hug, "I hate goodbyes so, I'm just going to tell you both to be safe. Because I'm not going to be around to save your asses anymore."

Jack hugged her tightly trying to not get too upset, "We'll be fine. Thank you Mandaria, for everything you've done for the both of us."

Kal hugged her next, "If we're not awake when you leave, tell Sid I'll miss her."

After a few more teary moments, Vetra left them alone. It was time to figure out what a Nerve-Stim was.


	56. Chapter 55: Fool Me Once...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy two days after Valentines day everyone! I actually didn't intend for this to work out this way but here we go! Lewds for first half.

The blanket draped across the bed gave Kal mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was the one thing he had ever wanted from the Migrant Fleet, recognition. This was the one way to solidify the fact that he and Jack were a family and would always be one. On the other hand, it had come from a woman who just wanted to clear her conscience for years of inaction to help him. Yes she was an Admiral, and better yet his mother, this gift would be a young Quarian couples dream come true. But, he didn't know if he could disconnect the blanket from the person behind it and their motive for making it. Ultimately, he had to realize Shala took a huge risk commissioning the blanket. Gerrel would've certainly exiled her or worse if he discovered she made a gay marriage legal. He had to put her previous actions aside, he had other things to worry about.

Kal couldn't believe Tali had a Nerve-Stim installed into his new suit without telling him. He wasn't mad about it since she was just thinking about him but, it was a little bold of her to assume he needed one. For a normal Quarian, a Nerve-Stim was just a part of being a responsible adult. Every being needed stimulation from time to time and since they couldn't get out of their suits frequently, the Stim was a good substitute. Kal wasn't a normal Quarian though and thus could release without it. He had spent many a night in his teenage years rubbing off to Fornax magazines. Still, this was an opportunity to experience something new with Jack so he wasn't going to complain.

Jack was eyeing him with a raised eyebrow as he watched Kal staring at the blanket, "You don't like it on the bed do you? We could hang it on the wall instead if you wa-"

Kal held up his hand to stop him, "I love the blanket Jack...it's..." He took a deep breath turning to look at him instead, "Shala came to me and told me she was my mother. And that she knew about the experiments Gerrel was doing from the beginning."

Jack suddenly looked very upset, "And she didn't do anything to stop what was he was doing...? Do you think Gerrel put her up to lying just to hurt you?"

It would've been a lie for Kal to say that possibility hadn't crossed his mind. His father was the type of man to do just that if he thought it was going to get Kal to bend. However, the fact that Shala had given Jack this blanket told him she had been acting alone. Gerrel would've never risked Kal going back to the fleet with the blanket. As long as Shala was still an Admiral, he could return to the fleet with it and throw his exile out of the water. It also had the potential to throw out every other exile caused by someone being gay. Kal was tempted but, he knew the stigma in the general Quarian population wouldn't change and he'd rather stay away.

He tapped his elbow with his opposite hand and sighed, "I thought about it but, no. Shala basically gave me a legal back door to come back to the fleet if I ever wanted to.. Gerrel would never do that knowing I'm not going to be his baby making machine. We don't have time to go back and have our family there right now anyways."

Jack gave him a wide sincere smile, "Once we stop the Reapers...you know I'd follow you anywhere right? Even if that means I'd have to wear a modified Quarian suit for everyone elses' benefit."

Kal popped his helmet off so Jack could see his smile, "I know, but I don't think we could get Zero to follow us and she's just as important. Now, you need to open the Nerve-Stim and honor Tali's dare."

To make sure he didn't fall over from any shock to his nerves, Kal flopped onto the bed and gave Jack a reassuring grin. He watched Jack's facial expressions change when he opened the app. General curiosity morphed to an interested stare as he explored all of the options. Since his omni tool was translucent, Kal could see the app from upside down and blushed. Tali hadn't skimped out on the version of the stim, the app featured options for oral, and anal sex with a finger or penis. The options underneath that had customization options for length and thickness. Even under that, the app had options for speed and force. Tali had to have quite the dirty mind if she modified this for him.

Jack coughed looking back up at him with surprise, "This is real right? You two aren't trying to prank me?"

Kal had a challenging twinkle to his glowing white eyes and he stretched out on the bed, "Why don't you push one of the buttons and find out..?"

Jack hummed quietly before tapping a few of the options while sitting down on the couch. At first all Kal felt was a slight pinch on the back of his neck, the suit must've been getting access to his nervous system. Then, he gasped as though all the air in his lungs had been punched out of him. He knew logically that nothing was between his legs, but his nerves were tricking him into feeling lips kiss his tip. They were even a little prickly like Jack's which made him moan softly. They had never actually done it this way because Kal was afraid of any allergic reaction Jack could've had from his dextro cum. He had only taken the plunge, so to speak, two years ago because he trusted his enhanced immune system.

His husband gave him a wicked smirk, "I thought you'd like that."

Kal playfully glared back at him, "You bos-"

He couldn't finish what he was going to say because the feeling of a tongue flicked around his tip. It wasn't as moist as an actual tongue but, the sensation of a muscle was enough to get him to flop his head back against the pillow. The virtual tongue's progress was oh so painfully slow, 'licking' around the top of his tip. Kal noticed the tongue dragged around the edge of his tip as if it was the button on a female. Tali had definitely worked a miracle getting the stim to work on him at all, since the manufacturer didn't make a homosexual version for Quarians. Still, the selfish, horny part of him wished the tongue and mouth would go lower.

Jack chuckled sounding amused watching him, "Let me know when you want me to add depth..." 

The tongue gave what he could best be described as a teasing flick so, Kal forced his head up to look at Jack. Giving the omni tool on his arm a look, Kal could see a live video feed of his hard as a rock length packed into his suit. Whenever Jack swiped or touched the video, Kal would feel the tongue completing a similar motion against the back end of his tip. Tali had out done herself in the coding department to make this work as well as it did. Another swipe made the tongue drag across the diameter of his tip like a piece of candy. The feeling of the tongue's slow grind was mindnumbingly perfect, which just made him want more of it as soon as possible.

Kal nodded eagerly staring at his eyes with some desperation, "Please cyar'ika...more."

Jack spread his legs apart revealing a bulge in his own pants from his look and tone before going back to work. The tongue suddenly switched tracks and started grinding up and down the length of his shaft. Since the tongue didn't belong to any real living being, it could reach all of the way down his length while the soft yet scratchy lips kissed at his tip softly. Kal bucked his hips upwards with a moan and was frustrated to only find air. He wanted Jack on top of him with his suit off but, that would end the sensations running along him right now. The tongue slowly made it's way down his shaft with suspicious accuracy in following one of his veins. He looked at Jack to see his finger was purposefully targeting the vein.

His voice had turned into a husky rumble, "You keep doing that and I'll come over there to jump on that very inviting lap of yours."

Jack chuckled moving his free hand to rub at his own bulge, "You say that like its a bad thing I want to avoid."

Kal groaned sensing a shiver run down his spine when the tongue made contact with his base. Just like his tip, the tongue started by making laps around the base. The difference was since the tongue was as long as his entire shaft, Kal could feel a perfect amount of friction from the tongue along his whole length. He gripped at the pillow behind his head trying not to cry out from the pleasure he was feeling all over. Kal took the risk and looked over again to see Jack's pants were pooled at his feet and he was rubbing himself off. The sight made Kal buck his hips again and some pre drooled out from his tip. Thank Keelah his new suit was absorbant, or this would've been a mess.

He could practically see a lightbulb go off above Jack's head when he looked at him, "Let me take care of that for ya...."

A second finger landed on the interface and Kal felt his eyes were going to bulge out, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

He couldn't believe it but, while the first tongue rubbed up around his base, a second tongue flicked along the tip. Tali could probably make a fortune in the exile Nerve-Stim business if she wanted to, his friend seemed to have thought of everything. This was the kind of thing Kal thought was only possible in fantasies, two tongues were working him. The first tongue coiled around his base gently squeezing it while the second one licked at his tip as though the person was in the desert and needed his fluid. A combination of two tongues was going to break him within seconds since he hadn't ever experienced anything like this before.

Kal started fumbling with his bottom suit seal, giving Jack a hungry lust filled look, "Turn that kriffing thing off and get over here right now."

Jack didn't have to be asked twice easily melting under that gaze, "As you command Mr. vas Normandy."

The stim shut down giving Kal a minute to breath to get his suit's bottom half off but, Jack was on top of him soon after making the recovery a short one. Kal leaned up to meet Jack's sitting form on his lap so they could start kissing. The usually slow gentle introduction kisses were immediately replaced with hard sloppy ones. Their tongues were smashing and grinding together while both sets of hands were trying to get each others top off. Kal was maybe just a tad embarrassed by how feverish his hands were in getting Jack's shirt off, however, he was sure his cyar'ika understood why. Less than ten seconds ago, Kal had been on the verge of exploding his load, suit be damned.

Kal didn't waste much more time and impatiently bucked upwards wanting inside Jack. He let out a frustrated moan between kisses as the first thrust just sent Kal's tip colliding with Jack's strong, firm, and hot inner thigh. Jack chuckled darkly while they were kissing and he grabbed Kal's hands to guide them to his ass cheeks. His mind got the not so subtle hint to slow down even though his body was demanding to go as fast as possible. His six fingers slowly buried themselves into Jack's hot, smooth, yet hairy skin to guide him a little forward. The initial aim still wasn't perfect but, Kal was quickly able to adapt allowing his wet tip to finally sink into Jack. 

A lewd gut centered moan tumbled from his lips, having gone from something virtual and physically impossible, to the very real experience with Jack. Kal already knew neither of them were going to last long because of the Nerve-Stim. Still, he took things slowly letting Jack sink onto his length as tenderly as Kal could manage not wanting to hurt him. They continued kissing with a messy, haphazard smash of their lips which was in heavy contrast to the way Kal let his shaft slowly go into Jack to the hilt. The two of them broke the kiss and stared into each others gaze. Jack's lustful expression threatened to undo him all on it's own, if his throbbs were any indication but, Kal wanted to hold out as long as he could.

Jack leaned forward and tilted his head so his warm lips could hover right next to Kal's ear, "Let go Kal....fuck me as long as you can and then let go."

The whisper was enough to make Kal grunt and grab his sides. He used his strong grip to start bouncing Jack on and off his tip over and over again. Already he could see stars behind his eyes but Kal was determined to keep going. In his mind, it was only polite to push Jack over the orgasmic edge first, especially since he was the one to start this evenings activities. Kal's hope just was that it wasn't going to take too long for Jack to get there. He didn't know how long he could realistically hold out from exploding. The feeling of release was so close, Kal could practically taste it at the back of his tongue.

While Jack's breathing seemed to make it clear he was at the same edge, the smirk across his lips made it clear he wasn't going to just play along. Kal moaned out loudly when he could feel his actual tongue running along his ear's shelf before moving down lower. A few lazy kisses along his jaw later, and Jack's tongue was making slow wide circles around his sensitive neck. That warm wet feeling on his collarbone was enough to make Kal release completely. He continued to bounce Jack weakly up and down but, rope after rope of his hot sticky Quarian cum poured into Jack. Just a few seconds later, Jack arched backwards with a deep moan and came all over Kal's chest.

The two of them collapsed against the bed and Kal softly cupped Jack's cheek, "Keelah...that was...."

Jack was breathing hard but, wrapped his arms around Kal tightly, "Yeah...who knew Tali was going to have the ability to make you horny."

Kal elbowed him teasingly at the obvious joke, "Your a bosh'tet."

Jack kissed his forehead softly before snuggling in close to him, "You know you love it. Now get some sleep, we don't want to be totally exhausted for making breakfast in a few hours."

Kal nodded, kissing his chin in return, "I love you my cyar'ika."

His eye lids were drooping but, Jack mumbled with a yawn, "I love you too sweetheart..."

_o0o_

Jack woke up to the bumping noise of durasteel, Vetra must've left with her sister on their smuggling ship. He felt bad he didn't get to see them off and say goodbye again but, sleeping like a baby had been wonderful. The realization that he would never see her ever again hadn't hit him yet. She was just going to lay low for a few months but, of course they'd have a reunion again. Unfortunately, she had burned too many bridges to be able to stay in the Milky Way. If Aria's bounty hunters hadn't ended up killing them, the AIA agents would've. Jack looked at the clock on his omni tool and sighed, it was 7:30 am galactic standard time in the morning. They had to get up.

He gently rubbed the back of Kal's shoulder with his thumb whispering, "We've gotta get up. I'm sure Jack's hungry in medbay."

Kal groaned with a groggy voice, "I'll take the next shower..."

Knowing he wasn't going to get Kal up on his own, Jack dragged himself to the shower still feeling tired himself. Tali's trial, the Alarei, and more recently the time he had with Kal were draining him. They needed a shore leave to decompress before going after the Collectors directly. Even more than the hunt for Saren, it felt like they were constantly running from threat to threat. Luckily, it had only been a few days since they stole the data from the Collector ship. If it was really going to take EDI a week to get the data about the Omega-4 Relay, they had a few days off. The problem was there didn't seem to be a port in the entire galaxy that they could safely go to and enjoy shore leave. Ashley wasn't going to give up her hunt now that Arnold was dead and Kai Leng still wanted them dead.

EDI's voice came from his omni tool resting near the soap bar, "Shepard, Admiral Daro'Xen has sent you a message. Would you like me to play it for you?"

Jack peeked his head out of the shower door to make sure Kal was still sort of sleeping, "If it's urgent go ahead, otherwise delete it."

Xen's voice came through his tool in a recorded message, "Jack'Shepard vas Normandy, I've been exploring the Alarei looking for Legions remains. I'm sure you are well aware I found nothing. However, I just wanted you to know that I did find a few things from the experiments Rael'Zorah and Han'Gerrel were conducting. Had you shared them with me, Humanity might have reaped the benefits. Instead, once my own experiments are complete, you and your people will watch from a distance as the Quarian people reclaim not just their homeworld, but the largest synthetic army in the galaxy. Rael'Zorah's... death.... will not have been in vain. I will complete what he started. Cordially, Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh."

Jack was curious why she paused around death, did she know Rael technically saved his mind? "Archive the message just in case. Anything else I need to know about EDI?"

The AI responded calmly, "I may have stumbled upon a way to navigate through the Omega-4 Relay. I have transmitted the data to The Illusive Man for a final review. I'm sure he'll contact you when he has confirmed my findings."

Ultimately, that was good news. It meant they were one step closer to actually stopping the Collectors and hopefully getting out from under Cerberus' thumb. However, Jack's plans for a nice relaxing shore leave could be tossed right out of the window. If they had a way to safely get through the Omega-4 Relay, they had to take it immediately. The Collectors could be kidnapping more Humans as he was standing under this hot water. Who knows how close Sovereign was to getting his shell back. That was his biggest fear, and he knew he had to stop it.

Jack grabbed a towel and started to dry off, "Thanks for the heads up EDI. Let me know when he's ready to talk."

EDI responded, "Acknowledged Shepard, logging you out."

He started getting dressed and tugged one of Kal's sheets off of him, "The showers yours lazy head."

Kal yawned while rolling over to look at him with a smile, "I'll meet you downstairs in a bit I promise... Just tired."

Jack gave him a serious glance, "EDI might've found us a way through the Omega-4 Relay. It might be over sooner rather than later."

Kal sat up quickly like he had been splashed with cold water, "So, we're actually going to do it then? I'll be ready for anything."

Jack tried to remain up beat, "Yeah we're really going to get to be criminals all on our own soon, if we survive... Now, wish me luck making Jack breakfast. I'm sure she's a tough critic."

Kal gave him a soft grin, "Thank you, I'll be down soon."

For it being a good time to get up, Jack was surprised that he and Chakwas were going to be the only people making food right now. He would've thought the mess hall would be packed at this point. Maybe he was too early to be getting up and moving around? It didn't matter really, he never enforced strict wake up times on either Normandy, as long as people got their work done more sleep wasn't a problem. Chakwas was sipping on some coffee and giving him a knowing smile. Jack had to wonder if the older woman could tell what he had been up to last night. He'd just showered so smell couldn't have been it. Hopefully, they hadn't been too loud from the Captains Quarters.

Jack ignored his inner self conscious and tilted his head towards her, "Morning doc. Everything alright?"

She swirled the coffee in her hand seemingly pleased with herself, "Yes Commander, not to break patient client privilege but.. Jack called the both of you her dads. She backed off quickly like she made a mistake. You and I know that isn't true though."

Jack grinned while starting to gather flour for pancakes, "I'm glad she's finally starting to trust us, kicking and screaming that is." He turned his head to look at her, "How's she doing? Really."

Chakwas held his gaze with a smile, "She'll be fine Commander. While I'd be more comfortable if she was performing her physical therapy at Grissom Academy, I understand that isn't an option because of her background. I can always call one of my old friends there for advice."

Jack felt uncomfortable about her reaching out to friends in the Alliance and showed it, "Just, be careful what you say about where you are. Ashley's still after us and while we're fighting the Collectors we can't afford that distraction."

Chakwas held up a hand politely to stop him, "I'm well aware of our current circumstances Shepard. My friends think I'm taking a retirement cruise near Thessia. You don't need to worry about me and discretion."

He was about to apologize when Feron came walking out of Miranda's office and froze staring at the two of them, "I uhh...good morning."

Jack couldn't help but show the surprise he was feeling on his face. So, that looked they sort of shared in his cabin had meant something. His first reaction was that he was working Miranda for information about Cerberus. He couldn't begin to count the number of vids he had watched where a spy would lie and seduce a target in order to get intelligence. In this case though, Miranda was smarter than any of the women in those vids, he hadn't thought she was interested in romance period. The most telling piece of evidence that this was a real relationship though was Feron's face. He looked terrified, as though he had just robbed a bank and found CSEC was waiting for him at the front door. Did he think they were going to judge him? To be honest, Jack was surprised but, he was glad they were hopefully happy.

Chakwas grinned as if nothing had just happened, "Good morning, would you like some coffee? I've made a levo and dextro cup for everyone."

The Drell made sure his jacket didn't look like it had hastily been put on and smiled, "Thank you but, I drink tea. Don't get up to make it please, I could use an excuse to stretch around."

Thane's voice came from the side of the elevator, he had probably been standing there silently the entire time, "Have you made sure she is alright? Licking Drell skin and fluids tend to cause hallucinations, some permanent depending on the fluid."

Feron's hand shook as he grabbed a tea bag, "....Really....?"

Jack made himself look busy breaking eggs for the pancakes, you could cut the tension with a knife. Thane mistakenly had an analytical edge to it pretending to ignore the negative attitude, "Yes, I've seen Humans go to mental institutions from ingesting a Drell's release. It's a terrible-"

Feron interrupted him coldly, "How old am I dad?"

Thane tilted his head looking confused, "Your twenty two Koly-"

He spun to face him, "Twenty nine. I'm twenty nine, meaning I don't need the talk."

Thane threw his hands out wide, "Well, you won't talk to me at all so I have to start somewhere."

Feron angrily tossed the tea bag in the cup, "Maybe we haven't talked because I don't need to, or want to with you. What are you even doing here anyways?"

EDI interrupted them from the intercom, "Shepard, The Illusive Man is requesting to speak with you."

Jack took a deep breath, "Thanks EDI, I'll be right there." He looked down to the pancake cooking and glanced at Chakwas, "Could you take over?"

She gave him a quiet nod letting Jack leave the mess hall. He regretted not being able to help Thane mend the gap he had with his son but, it technically wasn't even his place. The problems they had were Thane's own making and Jack couldn't wash it away. Hopefully, the awkward interaction they had this morning would at least lead to more conversations. Feron would feel sorry if he didn't at least talk to his father before he passed away. Jack put their plight into the back of his mind as he entered The Illusive Man's office. Jack had to admit it was incredibly strange to see the man in the exact same position as he had left him in every time they talked. How many cigarettes and glasses of scotch could he really have just for himself on whatever station he was on?

A puff of smoke greeted him, "Shepard, EDI confirmed my suspicions. The Reapers and Collector ships use an advanced Identify Friend/Foe system that the Relays recognize. All we need to do is get our hands on one of those IFFs."

Jack felt like he was going to twitch and sarcastically answered, "I was already on the Collector ship! Why didn’t you say anything about finding their IFF?"

The Illusive Man took another puff of smoke, "As I said, EDI just confirmed it. Besides, you wouldn’t have had time to find and extract it. But we have options."

Jack raised an eyebrow frustrated with his vague answer to everything, "Options? Like what?"

He put out his cigarette and shifted in his seat to get comfortable, "We have a science team working on a derelict Reaper right now. I need you to go and pick up its IFF."

Jack folded his arms keeping a skeptical tone, "Another 'derelict' ship? Where did you find it? I only slightly believe you, because I doubt you’d repeat yourself so soon."

The Illusive Man took a shot of the alcohol, "An Alliance science team recently determined that the 'Great Rift' on the planet Klendagon is actually an impact crater from a mass accelerator weapon. A very old mass accelerator. I sent a team to find either the weapon or its target. They found both." He tilted his glass and a LOKI mech marched forward to fill it again, "The weapon was defunct, but it helped us plot the flight path of the intended target, a 37 million year old derelict Reaper. We found it damaged and trapped in the gravity of a brown dwarf."

Jack frowned having a strange bad feeling about this, "Aren’t brown dwarfs basically stars that didn’t quite make it?"

The Illusive Man put the glass back in the armchair, "Simply put, but accurate. They’re gas giants that don’t quite have the masses of stars. Expect gale-force winds and extremely high temperatures. The Reaper has a Mass Effect field that keeps it in orbit. Likely an automated response to the external threats. It’s stable.... but I won’t call it safe."

Jack glanced at him trying to get a read on him, "I get the feeling this isn’t going to be simple 'swing by and pick up our package.'"

His hand hovered near the glass, "We lost contact with Dr. Chandana’s team a few weeks after they boarded. Initial reconnaissance revealed no clues, and it was too risky to commit more resources, but now we need that IFF. I’ll forward the coordinates to Joker, good luck Shepard. Your going to need it."

Jack took a deep breath, he was going to raid a Reaper.


	57. Chapter 56: ...Shame On Me

Jack heard the groaning sneeze as he made his way to the drive core room in engineering. Tali was already a little sick before kissing Garrus in the truth or dare game, surely that didn't make it any better. He was worried about her but, he thought she knew what her limits were. That was until he got her request to join them on the mission to get the IFF. She was dedicated to stopping the Collectors, which he appreciated, just when it wasn't at the expense to her health. Maybe being around Kal gave Tali a sense of invincibility? Her attitude wasn't like this on the original Normandy so, it had to do with something that happened to her recently. His concern was that due to her exile, Tali felt like throwing her life away. As a friend, Jack wasn't going to let that happen if he could help it.

Rael's voice was gentle, "Have just one more sip of the tea please, it'll make you feel better."

He swore that he was never going to forget the strange sight in front of him. Legion was holding a cup of tea with a straw coming out of it for Tali to drink, except it really wasn't Legion. They had the same body but, when Rael's AI was in control, his movements were more organic. If there had been a holographic overlay of a Quarian on top of Legion, Jack would've been partly convinced that Rael himself was standing there. Jack hadn't even known the man when he was alive and yet, he knew those had to be his movements, he couldn't imagine how hard this was on Tali. The father you loved trapped inside the synthetic you hated above everything else in the entire galaxy. She would most likely get used to it, but not in the first couple days when she was on a self destructive spiral.

Tali glared at the cup, followed by the green optical sensor, "I have work to do on the drive core dad and then...ACHOO! Then I have to get ready to help...Ahhh...Shepard."

Rael let his stern voice take over, "Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, your going nowhere acting like this. You have an internal temperature of 103 degrees! Please, no matter what I did, please stop being exactly like your mother and drink this."

The fact she had such a high fever, for a Quarian, made Jack want to lift her over his shoulder and carry her to the medbay without debate. She not only was a lot sicker than she let on to any of them but, she was still working on top of that. Why was she hiding the fact that she was sick from them? The Normandy had a state of the art medbay and Chakwas was more than used to taking care of Quarians by now so that couldn't be it. Did she just not really care? Or was she punishing herself because of what happened on the Alarei? Most employers wouldn't care and applaud the 'work until you drop' mentality Tali was showing off right now but, Jack wasn't most employers. Between Garrus, Saren, Kenneth, Gabby, and now Legion with Rael, they had plenty of engineers to work the drive core while Tali got some rest. He would strap her to the medbay bed himself if he had to.

Jack tried to be polite but, had his Commanders voice, "Tali, I want you to finish whatever your doing and then drink some of that. When your done, report to Chakwas to have a look at you."

Tali looked at the floor before tapping a few buttons to shut down her terminal, "I...yeah your right. I already know it's an infection though. I took a hit at Hock's estate and I didn't sterilize it properly." She ended with a string of coughs.

Rael's tone was one of disappointment as he grabbed her shoulder, "Tali...you knew you had an infection and didn't say anything? You know what happened to-"

Legion took over retreating from her, "According to Rael's memory banks, Creator Caro'Zorah was killed by an infection distributed by...young Creator Zorah. She never sought treatment fearing her daughter would blame herself."

Tali stared at him, her eyes dull, "Yeah I know dad.."

Jack gave her a concerned expression, "What happened?"

Tali looked anywhere but either of them, "I was four...my class had an art project involving scissors. I took them home and ran around with them like a bosh'tet. I accidentally got a cut on mom's leg." She took a shuddering breath, "I don't think dad, ever forgave me."

Rael pulled her into a hug, "That's why you won't talk to me...? Oh Tali, of course I forgave you. I just haven't known how to show it. I forgive you my ad'ika."

He knew that definitely wasn't the actual reason Tali had been avoiding 'Rael' but, it was nice to see them hug and bond. The ancestor AI was going to give them another chance that the real Quarian Admiral might not have ever of given her. At first, he thought the fact that the AI wasn't a perfect representation of the original being would be a problem. Now, Jack saw the benefit of the AI taking liberties when necessary, it helped heal old wounds in a family. Maybe that's the reason the Quarians created the ancestor AI in the first place. Jack just hoped that Rael would still be able to help them with the Reapers, even with his new imperfections.

Tali sniffled squeezing on Legion tightly, "I...ok dad." She let go while turning her head towards Jack, "Could you just...do me a favor and not tell Garrus? He already blames himself for enough as it is and I don't want him to carry this around."

So that was the reason Tali kept the illness to herself up until now. Much like her mother before her, Tali wanted to keep someone she cared for from having to experience that kind of guilt. She was right to say Garrus had gone through hell and back but, he suspected it was also convenient for Tali not to say anything. Their blossoming romance would screech to an immediate halt if Tali told him she was really sick because of him. He wanted to remind her that if she had not gotten any treatment and died, Garrus would've felt much worse but she already knew that. Still, she needed to learn not to repeat the exact same mistake as her mother so he had to do something.

He bowed his head, "Tell you what, we're about to go into a Reaper so I'm not going to say anything, but when we get back you have to tell him. He'll see you in the medbay anyways because your going to take as much time off there as Chakwas orders. Deal?"

She started slowly making her way to the elevator, "Alright..thank you Jack."

Jack gave her a semi stern glance, "And Tali? Don't ever keep something like this to yourself again. I'm not going to lose one of my only best friends right now."

The elevator door shut with Legion's green flashlight staring at him, "Thank you Commander, a Quarian Admiral wouldn't have cared about my Tali like that."

He bit back something sarcastic only to nod, "We're family on this crew Rael, I don't like losing family members."

Joker jumped in on the comm, "Commander, we've entered the system and are approaching the temple of doo- I mean the Reaper research site. Better get ready for a drop."

Jack waited for a few seconds before tapping the elevator button again, "Copy that Joker, on my way."

Legion stepped up along his flank, "Shepard-Commander, I have calculated that you have a thirty percent increase to your success chances if you allow me to accompany you. Seeing as how I have already explored one of the old ones interiors, I should be able to guide you to the objective."

Seeing as Legion was already holding his rifle, Jack just let him onboard the elevator, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

When they reached the command deck, Miranda, Mordin, Kal, Garrus, and Saren were all already waiting for them. He was tempted to tease Miranda about the awkward meeting he had with Feron they had this morning but, ultimately thought against it. They didn't have the same type of relationship that he and Garrus or Tali had. For what it was worth, she didn't seem any different than she usually was distant, seemingly lost in her own head. It was possible this wasn't the first time she and Feron had shared a moment together but, Jack doubted that. Despite being a competent spy, Feron's facial reactions to things made him painfully obvious to read. He had to wonder if she legitimately cared at all or, she was the one using him for information.

Garrus raised his browplate suspiciously, "Where's Tali?"

Legion responded for the both of them, "Since I was on Nazara previously, we agreed I would be a better guide for this mission."

Miranda bit her lower lip as they approached the brown dwarf, "Let's hope that's not necessary. Doctor Chandana's team could've just gone through a communications failure."

Mordin shook his head sagely, "Unlikely. Would've needed to venture out by now for food and other supplies. Most obvious solution is the team was indoctrinated."

Kal gave Legion a polite nod, "It's good to be working with you again Legion. I'm sorry I didn't trust you more on the original Normandy."

Legion's metal flaps seemed to turn upwards in surprise, "It is understandable Creator Shepard. I look forward to working with you in a full trustworthy capacity."

His flashlight turned green, "....Creator Shepard? Legion, I think we need to work on your identifier program." When the Geth didn't respond, Rael looked between Kal and him coming to the realization, "Oh."

Jack folded his arms over his chest, "Is that going to be a problem Rael?"

Rael's Geth head shook quickly, "No Commander, I just-"

He was interrupted when the Normandy had entered the atmosphere of the brown dwarf. The Illusive Man had warned them to expect heavy winds but, the way that the ship suddenly shook made him actually worried. This was worse turbulence then they experienced on the Quarian shuttle to the Alarei and it was the Normandy. What really made Jack's heart race was the swirling dust clouds right in front of the viewport. What was stopping them from ramming into this Reaper at top speed if their sensors were down? They had to trust EDI was going to take them in the right direction.

Miranda must've been just as worried because she started to pace, "What’s with all the chop, Joker?"

He groaned gripping the controls until his knuckles had turned white, "Doing my best lady. The wind’s gusting to 500 kph. Think hurricanes from any fake disaster vid."

Jack leaned on one of the walls for support, "Just keep doing what your doing and get us there as fast as you can."

Legion was the only one standing up completely straight in the cockpit. After a closer look to see how he was achieving such a feat, Jack could see he was cheating with magnetized feet. A part of him wished Cerberus would've spared the expense to give them some, he decided he definitely didn't need an excuse to stick around after this was over though. The longer the turbulence continued, the more Jack was worried that they were going to start risking damage to the Normandy. He was about to order Joker to turn around and get them out of there when the turbulence just stopped. A moment later the dust cloud rolled away from the viewport like they had entered some sort of bubble.

Jack was able to stand up fully again, "What just happened?"

EDI chimed in, "It appears as though the Reaper’s Mass Effect fields are still active. We just passed inside their envelope."

Saren frowned looking for any signs of the Reaper, "This is an awfully large envelope for a Mass Effect field. Where's the Reaper?"

It was as if Saren had some sort of dramatic timing because Jack started to see it, or what was left of a Reaper. The hull for the fingers was much more shredded then he expected. However, the way some of the hull chunks made it seem as though they had been placed there a lot sooner than 37 million years ago. When the Normandy got closer, Jack could see an entire other structure was added around the missing pieces to try and bring them together. Chandana hadn't just been tasked with analyzing debris, he was rebuilding the Reaper as best he could. Once again, The Illusive Man had left out a key piece of information that made Cerberus look bad. Jack didn't understand why he had tried to hide it from him. Did he think Jack couldn't put two and two together?

Joker gave them all a nervous expression, "See what did I tell you about the vid? Now we're in the eye of the hurricane, huh?"

Saren glared at Miranda furiously, "Why is Harper trying to actively put one of these monsters back together?! Does he not understand the risks?"

Miranda seemed unphased by his anger, "Have you ever tried doing an autopsy before Saren? We can't know how to destroy something if we don't know how it works originally."

Mordin's eyes narrowed staring at the Reaper, "Noble goal but, wrong method. Could risk activating more systems. Such as indoctrination drones."

The last sentence made Jack give a worried look towards Mordin, "Do you think it's even safe enough for us to go inside Mordin?"

Mordin shrugged nonchalantly, "Nothing's ever safe with Reaper involvement. IFF worth the risk though. Would suggest not getting out of your armor for any reason while were inside. Bathroom breaks could be, problematic."

Jack gave a tilt of the head to Joker, "Take us in Joker. I want us out of here as soon as we can."

Legion was tapping his omni tool, "I have sent the coordinates to the old ones bridge to the Normandy's navigation systems. Our chances of success directly depend on how close we can land in relation to the bridge. Success chances range from 70 to 15 percent."

Garrus shook his head with a grumble, "That range sounds about right for what we do every single day..."

EDI actually seemed a little irritated, "I am well aware of how to perform my duties and percentile analysis. However, I find disclosing chances to the rest of the crew lowers morale which goes against my primary function."

Kal chuckled with a sigh, "It's alright EDI, we're used to it."

As the Normandy docked with one of the upper sections of the Reaper, Joker whispered, "You can keep hiding percentages away from me as much as you want EDI."

Jack stepped into the airlock, "If we aren't back in an hour Joker I want you to run to the first Alliance base you can think of. Tell them everything and make them listen to you."

The group stepped forward into the Cerberus section of the ship and Jack realized they were in serious trouble. Instead of an active Cerberus science team to meet them, there was dead Husk on the ground. While they hadn't encountered one since Eden Prime really, he was never going to forget what they looked like. The skin was almost completely translucent allowing them to see what was left of his organs. Most of the organs were totally missing and had been replaced with mechanical tubing and other machinery. The Husks had sharp fangs and nails but, Jack didn't remember any of them having spikes along their arms and spine. They looked like they could cut through sheets of metal let alone skin.

Legion hovered over the body with his omni tool and Rael sounded tense, "There’s still blood inside of him, but something’s wrong with it."

Mordin pulled Legion backwards preparing to use a cryo charge, "Most likely indoctrination nanomachines. Spikes are meant to distribute indoctrination to other hosts. Very dangerous."

Kal eyed the now frozen corpse wearily, "What even is that thing? It used to maybe be Human. Totally not like the ones on the Citadel."

Jack felt tense just looking at the body even if it was frozen, "These aren’t the same creatures I fought on Eden Prime either. They’re more advanced. Evolved."

Mordin frowned tapping his chin, "Interesting. Could be what's happening to the missing colonists. Need more data before know for certain. One things for sure, avoid the spikes."

Garrus motioned to the headshot, "Well, at least they still die if you shoot them."

Miranda used her Cerberus passcode to get access past the inner airlock and Jack didn't feel any better about what Garrus said. There were dead Cerberus technicians everywhere. Some had the signs of slash marks or bites while others had been shot. The entire team had to be dead and there was no sign of what killed them except for the dead Husk in the inner airlock. Had just that one Husk cause all this destruction? Or were there many more of them now wandering around deeper inside the ship? They needed the IFF, otherwise he would've ordered a full retreat back to the Normandy. He had to wonder how the rest of the team didn't notice the first Husk.

Jack started walking over some of the bodies, "Legion, if you could start pointing us towards the bridge that'd be great."

Miranda marched past him to the body of a middle aged, partially balding, red headed man, "Shit, this is Chandana.." She started patting down his jacket.

Garrus coughed with his mandibles fluttering, "What are you doing?"

Miranda rolled her eyes, "Looking to see if he had any recording device on him. I want to know what happened here." A second later she pulled out an omni tool from his jacket pocket, "I knew this was in here."

A voice recording of presumedly Chandana filled the room, "The crew is edgy. I reassure them it is mere nerves. A superstitious reaction to what this hulk represents, the corpse of a vast, ancient life form. Privately, I can’t deny the atmosphere. The angles of the walls seem to press down on you. I find myself clenching my teeth."

Garrus looked up at the ceiling and then around the room, "What is he even talking about?"

In another situation, Jack would've laughed by how accurate that question really was. He noticed the walls and ceiling had diamond like angles across them but, they weren't sinister. Had Cerberus really hired someone already mentally insane to research recovered Reaper technology? Surely The Illusive Man was smart enough to know that was a dangerous combination. Which meant he was having these delusions before getting onboard the Reaper but, not long enough of a time to be noticed. The implication his mind kept running back to was that Chandana and his crew were somehow initially indoctrinated before coming aboard the only ship capable of indoctrination.

Mordin was the first one to voice that concern, "He's already speaking as though he's hallucinating. How could he have been in contact with nanomachines before coming here? Curious. And alarming."

Miranda surveyed the room with that same unreadable glance in her eye, "More importantly, how did the whole crew get the same level of indoctrination?"

He could practically see the wheels turning in Garrus' investigative mind, "Had to have been poisoned through the water supply. No other way to guarantee total contamination."

Saren finished for him, "Harper did this to his own people."

Miranda shook her head, "Chandana's valuable to Cerberus. He was our main researcher on indoctrination..." She trailed off staring up at Saren, "And how to remove it from a body."

A cold metallic cry came from deeper inside the facility. Jack looked to the rest of them, "Legion, get us to the bridge. Now!"


	58. Chapter 57: Glitch in the System

Jack stepped towards the next door with Kal at his side getting ready to face whatever had made that terrible noise. Seeing one of the evolved Husks dead on the ground was one thing, hearing them and knowing they were alive was something else. Miranda slid in behind them quietly to use her passcode and the door opened slowly like it's motors were covered in rust. The creeking sound made Jack wince. Hadn't Chandana's research team only arrived a few months ago at most? Why was all of the equipment behaving as though it had been fifty years since anyone had operated them? As he suspected, the groaning metal attracted the attention of at least ten former Human Husks.

Mordin spoke over the yelling cry each of the Husks made, "Remember, spikes most likely contain Reaper nanomachines! Don't touch."

They all started firing at the small herd but, Jack was fearful of the Husks speed. He could just barely outrun the Husks on Eden Prime, these were faster. In just a few leaps and bounds, the remaining group was on top of them swinging their arms wildly. Jack was thankful that each swing was messy and predictable so he could easily move out of the way of the spikes. The Husks were also extremely easy to take down, just one bullet to the head and they were back on the ground lifeless. He realized that their only real problem was going to be numbers, they seemed to replace themselves almost immediately when one went down. Garrus and Saren stayed towards the back of the hallway providing fire support for the other five of them.

Kal fired at the last one a few extra times, "Take that you bosh'tet!"

Jack thought his heart was going to stop when he saw a spike flying towards Kal, "Get down!"

Before he could tackle him, Miranda caught the spike with her biotics and hurled it back down the hall, "It's good to know they can shoot them as well."

Jack let out a breath in relief glancing at Kal, "You alright?"

The thought of losing Kal to indoctrination wasn't something Jack wanted to worry about. Indoctrination was a slow death and in the meantime, Jack would've been forced to watch and maybe even fight him. Kal wouldn't let anything get that far though, if he knew he had been exposed to the Reaper nanomachines he'd kill himself. That would be Jack's last straw, he could live without a lot of things and be just fine except for Kal. Suicide was certainly the selfish, easy way out when the entire galaxy was at stake but he didn't care. Kal would do the same thing for him and they both knew it.

Kal looked down at himself and then his omni tool, "No suit punctures, we're good."

Mordin tapped his chin, "Must've evolved with the singular purpose of spreading indoctrination. Random mutation maybe? No too specific, had to be engineered. By who? Collectors? None in the area. Reaper perhaps? Been shut down for 37 million years. Strange."

Saren marched past him to fire at the last Husk running down the hall to get back up, "I think we all know by now this Reaper isn't sleeping," he turned his head and glared at Miranda, "or 37 million years old."

Miranda just stared at him confused, "I don't know why your looking at me. I've been on the Normandy except for the time I was dropping off Jacob on the Citadel."

Saren growled starting to approach her, "I'm looking at you because Harp-"

Miranda tensed before interrupting him, "Freeze all motor functions. I don't need to be questioned when we're in the middle of a battle. You have history with The Illusive Man, we get it. Don't assume everything he does is against us."

Jack stepped between them, "That's enough both of you. We have bigger issues right now then Cerberus' history, Legion take us to the bridge."

A silence fell over the group before Legion started leading them forward. Jack could sympathize with Saren's misgivings about this entire mission but, Miranda wasn't the person he should be raging against right now. The Illusive Man had kept her in the dark as much as the rest of them when it came to Kai Leng on Purgatory and Cora's betrayal of Cerberus. If he was once again not giving Jack the whole story about what was going on here, Miranda most likely was also in the dark. Although, she did seem to know some about Chandana and his intentions for being here. Maybe Jack was letting her have the benefit of the doubt just because of past experience. It didn't matter what Miranda knew ultimately, they just needed to focus on finding the IFF and getting back out of here.

Legion's head turned around completely to look at Jack while he continued to walk forward, "Was it your idea to install a control chip into Saren, Shepard-Commander?"

Jack bit his lip feeling a little uncomfortable talking about the chip, "No Legion, that was Cerberus' doing."

Legion's metal flaps surprisingly seemed to tilt questioningly, "You seem to not approve in controlling him. He is a dangerous liar and manipulator resulting in the corruption of all other Geth programs outside of this unit."

Garrus had a defensive tone, "That was Sovereign Legion, Saren was already indoctrinated by the time you two met."

Legion countered, "The corruption level was not strong enough to override his own desires completely or my scan would've detected it. You wanted to destroy the Geth."

Garrus was about to say something else when Saren spoke, "Your right, I did. Sentient or not, the Geth are merely malfunctioning machines that almost committed genocide to the point of bringing an entire race to extinction. As a SPECTRE, it's my duty to eliminate that kind of threat."

Jack was surprised that Saren said that so bluntly. It pained Jack to think Saren certainly had a point even when he had been suffering from the effects of indoctrination. Even though Legion proved time and time again that he was working towards what was best for organics and synthetics, he stood alone in that regard. None of the other Geth had reached out to the galaxy in three hundred years let alone the Quarians. If they were truly looking for peace as a whole, he assumed they would've started trying to negotiate a long time ago. Then again, that was very easy for him to say. He wasn't being judged as a threat to galatic security for merely existing, most days that is.

Legion's metal flaps bent into the angry 'V' shape, "The Geth have only become a threat to the galaxy because of you. The ancient Creators forced our hand in protecting Rannoch."

Rael took over turning the head back around, "That's debatable Legion. Violence is never an answer to-" He was cut off when a Husk surprised them and pushed it's spike through Legion's already open chest cavity, "Well, that's handy."

The Quarian punched the Husk allowing time for Legion to shoot it. Another dozen of the Husks rushed around a corner and were right on top of the seven of them. He was grateful his Mom had taken him to so many self defense classes as a kid even before he ran away to join the Alliance. The moves he learned there were helping him dodge all of the spikes coming at him. Trying to get a headshot was like trying to fight a drunk person but, he was managing. Luckily, the others seemed to be handling the Husks just as well with their own powers. Miranda and Saren were staying towards the back this time so they could catch any of the flying spikes with their biotics. This room was also big enough for Garrus to fly around keeping away from danger.

Legion kicked one down on it's knees before shooting at another Husk behind it, "I am detecting a mass amount of energy signatures approaching us from below."

When one of the spikes punched through the floor just in front of Jack's legs he knew they were in trouble, "Run! Legion get us out of here."

Bringing Legion along had been a good idea, in theory he should know the layout of the Reaper. However, Cerberus had filled missing sections of the Reaper with their own architecture making things more complicated. Whenever Legion would want to take a turn down another hallway, they would be greeted by a wall. If there weren't Husks chasing them at every turn, Jack would've been more tolerant of the dead ends and back tracking. As it stood, turning around and going back for ten minutes translated into fighting the Husks they attempted to run away from earlier. His heart was hammering fearing that their so far good luck was going to run out. Just as they ran down a single corridor that seemed to go on forever, a black glowing shield suddenly appeared behind them cutting off the pursuing Husks.

He knew it wasn't good when Joker's voice came to his ear, "Normandy to shore party!"

Jack was breathing hard but slowed to a stop when he realized the Husks couldn't follow them, "What just happened Joker?"

Joker sounded extremely worried, "The Reaper put up kinetic barriers. I don’t think we can get through from our side."

Garrus fired at the shield wall just to make sure nothing was getting through, "So we’re trapped in here with zombies wanting to infect us with their disease. Wonderful."

Saren opened the door in front of them to make sure the Husks weren't already coming at them, "We’ll have to take down the barrier generators from in here. Any idea where they are?"

EDI answered quickly, "A kinetic barrier can only be produced by a Mass Effect generator. That is true for any ship, even a Reaper. At the moment of activation, I detected a rapid heat increase near what is likely the wreck’s Mass Effect core. Sending the coordinates now. Be advised: this core is also maintaining the Reaper’s altitude."

Jack winced trying to work out the implications, "So when we take the barriers down to escape, the wreck falls into the dwarf's core."

Joker sounded like he was going to yell at them at any moment from stress, "And that means everyone aboard dies. Yeah, I got it."

Jack made sure to not project his personal fears, "If any helmsman can pull us off this thing before it reaches crush depth, it’s you."

The comm cut leaving the seven of them alone again. His first instinct was to split up so one group could grab the IFF while the other went for the core. It had gotten the job done on Virmire with a few deaths as possible for that kind of mission. On a ship like this though, that plan was essentially suicide. Jack had no idea how many researchers were a part of Chandana's team but, there were definitely enough to overwhelm all of them if they weren't thinking let alone a smaller group. The only chance they had of making it out alive together in one piece was if they stayed grouped up as a unit. Hopefully, the bridge wasn't going to be very far from the core. Otherwise they were going to be in here longer than he liked with the seemingly endless supply of Husks.

Legion marched past Saren towards what looked to be an elevator but made sure to hit him with his shoulder as he moved, "I suggest we hit the bridge first, that way there is less pressure in escaping."

Jack watched Saren rubbing his arm while choosing not to acknowledge it, "That was my thought as well. We have to stick together or we're going to die alone on this ship."

Mordin smiled as if the tension couldn't be cut with a knife, "Not often a consumer of Human entertainment. Did enjoy that vid though."

Garrus tilted his head confused, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Mordin waved a hand dismissively, "Was trying to make a joke on what Shepard said. Famous quote from a vid. Doesn't matter, not appropriate environment."

He was just as clueless as to what Mordin was talking about but, the door opened before he could say as much. The bridge to this Reaper was not what he expected it to be. For starters, the room was entirely empty besides a single modern console Cerberus must've added when they arrived. Jack wondered if the terminal was truly plugged into the Reaper's architecture or, Chandana placed it here just to make the science team feel more comfortable. His own definition of the word bridge was telling him there should be equipment in here for controls, but a Reaper wasn't a ship, it was an AI. That meant it's 'bridge' was in every surface all around them.

Miranda tapped a few buttons on the console, "Just give me a few minutes and I should have the IFF."

A very familiar mechanical voice came from the ceiling, "Shepard, you have become an annoyance. You fight against inevitability. Dust struggling against cosmic winds"

This was what The Illusive Man and potentially even Miranda had been lying about this time. They weren't researching some 37 million year old Reaper, they were onboard the remains of Sovereign. Wasn't the whole point of the abductions the Collectors were doing just to give Sovereign his shell back? Why was Cerberus giving it to him on a silver platter? The Illusive Man couldn't possibly claim he had no idea what Sovereign wanted because he had told him after Horizon. This wasn't just one of Cora's wacky schemes either, Miranda and The Illusive Man himself trusted Chandana and knew what he was doing here. Cerberus was actively trying to put Sovereign back together officially. The only question was whether or not they were cooperating with the Collectors.

Jack defiantly glared at the ceiling, "I wouldn't get too comfortable where I was sitting if I were you. We're about to send this shell of yours back to the depths, all your work will be meaningless and the cycle will be broken."

Sovereign's bland tone strangely seemed to be amused, "Human, you have changed nothing. This failed shell has no meaning to me as your people foolishly fumble in the dark. There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign."

Garrus glanced at him confused, "Yeah we know, you've told us that before."

Rael jumped in with a very enthusiastic tone, "Did he say that word for word? Do you know?"

Jack shrugged staring back at the Geth, "It's been two years, I can't remember exactly but, maybe."

Saren was apparently catching on faster than he was, looking up towards the ceiling, "What is your purpose Sovereign?"

The machine was cold as it replied, "My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation. Independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence. Why should I explain our purpose to the likes of you? A traitor to our cause."

Jack nodded slowly to Rael, "Yeah, I think I remember most of that. What's so important about it?"

Rael was overly animated and it was odd coming from a Geth, "Shepard, this changes everything-"

Sovereign interrupted him, "Your species has gained the attention of those infinitely your greater. That which you know as Reapers are your salvation through destruction." The door to the bridge started to be pounded on, "Know this as you die in vain: Your time will come. Your species will fall. Prepare yourselves for the arri-"

Kal shot where the voice was coming from ending his speech, "That's enough of that. What are you thinking Admiral?"

Before Rael or Legion could answer, a Husk spike stabbed at the middle of the elevator door. One quickly became two, and then three as it was clear they were trying to rip the door open. Jack would've started shooting immediately but, the door was made from palladium like his armor meaning the bullets wouldn't go through it. Unfortunately, that meant they had to wait for however many Husks were on the elevator to come at them before attacking. His mind was racing trying to figure out how many Husks could realistically fit on the elevator. Ten? Twelve? They all had fit relatively comfortably so, at least seven. He was thankful that the room was empty now, it gave them plenty of space to fight them.

Legion reloaded his rifle pointing it at the opening door, "His hypothesis is not important given the current situation. I will relinquish control when we are back on the Normandy."

Jack started shooting at the spikes since they were becoming exposed, "Miranda, tell me we have everything we need!"

She pulled her omni tool from the console before taking a headshot on the Husk, "I got the IFF, how are we getting to the core from here though?"

Legion grabbed a grenade from Kal's belt without asking and tossed it at one of the walls, "Leave that to me." After the explosion created a passage for them, Legion started marching through it, "Follow me."

He didn't have to be asked twice and pushed the others through the hole while he fired at the Husks. The sheer amount of the creatures was enough to frighten an entire platoon of Alliance soldiers. Saren tugged him by the shoulders through the hole once everyone else was across only to put up a biotic barrier. Did he honestly think that was going to hold for long? Saren was a good biotic, one of the best he had ever seen, but the further they got away from the bridge, the harder it would be to maintain the barrier. Unless, Saren was thinking about staying here to make sure they got away. Jack wasn't going to let that happen, he needed Saren for the rest of the mission.

Jack started pulling Saren along with him, "You can sacrifice yourself another time Saren, it's time we get out of here."

Saren growled sending a warp in the floor behind them so the Husks couldn't follow, "I don't know how long that will hold them back Shepard."

He noticed everyone had stopped a few feet in front of them, "Long enough. Hey, we have to keep moving everyone."

Kal looked back at him with a worried voice, "I don't think we can go this way Jack."

His heart sank the moment he stepped past him to see a five story drop. Even with the armor he and Saren had on, they wouldn't survive a fall like that. Garrus could potentially start using his jetpack to bring people down but, that was going to be slow going. He had no idea how long Saren's gap measure was going to keep the Husks at bay but, he assumed it wasn't going to be long enough. If he still had biotics, Saren, Miranda, and he could cushion a fall but he didn't trust just the two of them to do it. Their only option was to turn around and fight back to the elevator. That just created more risk that they could get hit with spikes and become indoctrinated.

Miranda bit her bottom lip before taking a few shots at the growing number of Husks behind them, "We have to fight our way out of here with whatever ammo we have left."

Rael approached the fall in front of them and saluted, "Or, we could just jump."

Jack's eyes widened in horror as Rael just jumped off of the ledge. Did he have a death wish knowing how hopeless this was looking for them? Surely he knew Legion wouldn't survive that kind of fall on his own. However, the black energy field that had cut off the Husks earlier surrounded Legion like a bubble and slowly moved him down like he was on his own personal elevator. He had no idea how the Geth knew the fall was going to be harmless but, yet again it was another example of him saving their lives. Jack only hesitated fearing that the black energy could seep between their armor sections and expose them to Reaper nanomachines.

Mordin watched Legion float all the way to the bottom, "Antigrav device, interesting. They thought of everything."

Jack took a few shots at the Husks trying to form a bridge with their bodies to get to them, "Is it safe for organics to use Mordin?"

The Salarian confidently walked forward to the hole, "Would assume so. Transportation must've been designed for Reapers creators. No need for them to indoctrinate themselves."

Jack had no idea how Mordin could jump to that conclusion but, he trusted him, "You heard him, everyone jump!"

The feeling of falling like this gave Jack a moment of having biotics again. It was a weightless sensation going down towards where Legion was waiting for them. He let out a breath seeing all the others were accounted for and weren't hurt. Jack couldn't stand the thought of losing any one of these crew members to indoctrination. Even Miranda, after all she had done to him personally, didn't deserve that fate. The landing was gentle enough and Kal was right next to him when his feet touched the ground. Kal would go anywhere with him, even a zombie infested AI construct without any regrets. He could just hear his Mom calling Kal a keeper.

Kal brushed some of the Husk blood off of his armored shoulder, "I'm going to have to paint this thing again with all of the blood your getting on it."

Jack laughed teasing him with a grin under his helmet, "It's a good thing I know you like art then."

Garrus coughed motioning ahead of them, "Uhh guys, any idea how we're actually going to take this thing out?"

Jack followed the Turians gaze and realized they were actually in the drive core room for the Reaper. A huge orb of glowing eezo hovered in the back of the room surrounded by spinning metal disks to maintain the eezo's shape. Sovereign's claim that the Reapers created the Mass Relays became more credible now that he was staring at one inside of a Reaper. After he recovered from the immediate surprise of seeing the thing, Jack had the same question. They had only brought small arms with them and he knew even before trying it that those wouldn't work. He couldn't believe they had fought all of those Husks only to get trapped now.

Kal raised his rifle and pointed at one of the joints keeping the metal disks spinning, "We shoot those out of wack and the eezo will become unstable."

Miranda shook her head, "Yes but, we'd all die from eezo exposure when that explodes."

Saren tensed starting to glow blue, "Not if we can create a strong enough biotic barrier for a short amount of time. The explosion may give us an exit point as well."

Garrus sounded cautious not lifting his weapon, "Are you sure you'll be able to handle it?"

A Husks cry from the elevator made Saren give a firm nod, "We don't have much time so you should start shooting."

Jack, Garrus, and Kal unloaded what was left of their ammo into the small metal joint. At first, Jack was concerned when nothing was happening and the Husks were coming at them from behind. This was it, they had no other options so if this didn't work they were as good as gone." He realized a moment later that he should always trust Kal's explosives expertise. The eezo started wobbling and warping when one of the disks stopped spinning. A few seconds later, Miranda and Saren put up a biotic barrier to protect them from the initial fallout. Despite that, the wall of blue energy slamming into the barrier was almost blinding and he could feel the heat coming off of it. When Saren's knees started buckling from the pressure, Jack grew concerned they weren't going to make it. As if the gods were looking out for him, the ball of fire disipated the second Saren and Miranda started falling.

He picked up Miranda's unconscious form, "Normandy, we're going to need a pick up now!"

EDI answered, "We are moving as fast as possible without risking the Normandy's hull integrity, stand by."

A spike whizzed over his head and he groaned, "They don't know when to quit do they?"

Legion was the only one still able to return fire, "I will cover you, go."

Now that they didn't have their biotic team members awake to deflect the spikes, things became more dangerous. Not only did they have to get on the Normandy as fast as possible, they had to avoid getting hit by the spikes. It felt like he was in high school again playing the most dangerous game of dodgeball you could imagine while carrying someone else with you. The Normandy arrived just in time and Jack didn't waste time getting in. He could finally relax again when all of the others made it without a scratch. Sovereign hadn't managed to indoctrinate anyone on his crew while he just destroyed it's old shell once and for all. They were back on the Normandy, it was time to see if all of the fighting had been worth it.


	59. Chapter 58: Target Acquired

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the massive delay, Stellaris on console released, already 40 hours gone XD!

Pneumonia in the right lung, not the worst diagnosis she could think of but, it wasn't great either. Tali shouldn't be complaining, she put this on herself by keeping the infection quiet for this long. She just hadn't wanted Garrus to feel responsible for her getting hit since he had been dealing with a lot after the Hock estate. Even if he had stayed with her the entire time she could've still gotten hit and infected, he wasn't actually the superhero she pretended he stole from. Regardless, feeling the ship whip back and forth like this while she was in a medical bed made her feel useless. She should be with Jack and Garrus on the Reaper right now, not staring at an IV bag.

Zero rolled over to look at her with a playful expression, "So, how was he?"

Tali blinked staring blankly back at her, "Pardon?"

Zero gave her a glare, "Pffft, oh come on now. You come in here with an infection a night after your truth or dare game with Garrus. Don't tell me you two didn't fuck around."

She should've been offended by Zero's blatant attempt at going into her sexual history. Who Tali was attracted to in that kind of relationship certainly had nothing to do with Zero. However, Tali knew she didn't mean anything truly negative by the question. Since having completed her pilgrimage, friendly gossip hadn't been part of her vocabulary. Zero was a teenager but, a little banter between the two of them wasn't going to hurt anyone. Especially when they were both going to be stuck inside the medbay for the foreseeable future.

Tali tried to keep her tone as bland as possible, "We didn't fuck around."

Zero raised an eyebrow, "Nothing? Not even a blowjob? I mean that's gotta be less risky to your health if you only open your mouth guard thing..."

Tali coughed before letting out a laugh, "Nope. I mean... Kasumi dared us to kiss and that was..nice..but that's not why I'm sick."

Zero grinned, proud she got something out of her, "So you did do something with him! Don't hold back now, I want details."

The memories of the two of them kissing for the first time was probably going to be burned in her mind forever. The way that their lips couldn't really meet because of the way his mouth was structured forcing their tongues to do all the work. You'd think that would make the kiss feel somehow less than with someone with a more normal set of lips but, he took her breath away. His tongue had who knows how much practice kissing a Human at least so he knew what he was doing. The length of it certainly hadn't hurt either, wrapping around her own several times over. She could only imagine how else the length of his tongue could be put to good use.

Tali tried to pretend she hadn't been lost in a daydream by shifting around on the bed, "Well...I don't think that kind of information would be appropriate for someone your a-"

Her bed jumped a few meters off the ground from a sudden bout of turbulence. Oh no, the Normandy must've lost whatever protection it had a second ago. Tali was tempted to rip out the IV in her arm and rush down to the drive core to make sure it was ok. Even if she got a little sicker, the Normandy wouldn't be ripped apart by the brown dwarf's winds. Just as she was about to reach for the line, she stopped bouncing and returned to normal meaning they were safe again. Unfortunately, Tali just had more questions instead of answers. Had everyone made it out safely? Did they get what they needed from the Reaper in the first place? If someone had been hurt, could she have prevented it? Her fears only intensified as Chakwas came in followed by Garrus carrying an unconscious Saren and Jack doing the same for Miranda.

Tali wanted to move to help them sounding alarmed, "What happened?"

Chakwas motioned for her to stay in the bed, "It sounds as though these two just overheated their implants. Nothing you need to worry about other than resting."

The pained, nervous, and guilty glance Garrus was giving her as he gently placed Saren down was exactly why she hadn't said anything to anyone about being sick up until now. He must've assumed the almost perfect moment they shared together was the reason she was in here. Privately, Tali knew that the kiss without antibiotics first didn't do her any favors, it just wasn't the only reason she was attached to an IV right now. She wanted to let him know he wasn't specifically the only reason she was in here right now but, the amount of people in the room didn't accommodate for that kind of personal conversation. Maybe she could sign with him when no one was looking?

For now, Tali did her best to politely ignore him, "Did we get it Jack?"

He smirked looking up at the ceiling, "EDI?"

EDI answered quickly, "I have been able to cross reference Sovereign's IFF data with information I discovered from the Collectors ship. I advise we have a briefing so I can present my findings."

Jack looked towards Garrus as he started to leave, "You coming?"

Garrus shook his head, "I'll get the cliff notes version from you later, I need to make sure Saren's going to be ok."

Jack had a knowing look on his face, "I'll be back down when I can. We have to make a plan."

The room got quiet when Jack left the room, uncomfortably quiet. Tali knew just as well as Garrus must've that a biotic implant overheating wasn't that serious. A few hour nap and some chocolate when you woke up and you would be good as new. Thus, Tali had to assume that Garrus was making sure she would be ok. Was she just being selfish? Maybe he did just really care for his brother but then again, would he be giving her that look if this was only about Saren? She didn't want to be a bosh'tet though and assume everything was about her. Keelah, he was like a Varren pup abandoned on the Citadel with that kind of gaze and she had no idea what to say.

Tali finally had the courage to muster up, "So, what did I miss...?"

Garrus took that as a sign, grabbing a chair next to her bed, "Just some zombies trying to kill us. I mean, it's technically new for us but, not the kind of new I asked the spirits for." He waited a second before asking quietly, "How are you doing?"

Tali gulped trying to come up with the right words, "Stage two pneumonia in the right lung. Got it from not treating a bullet at Hocks estate. Don't worry, I'll be fine after a few weeks of antibiotics."

Garrus was obviously stunned judging by his facial reaction, "Tali, why wouldn't you get something like that treated immediately?"

Her helmet looked away from him not wanting to see him hurt like this, "I didn't want you to blame yourself. It's stupid I know, it just runs in my family."

He carefully took her hand treating it as though she was a priceless gem, "I should blame myself Tali. What I did was petty revenge when I should've been listening to you. It scares me seeing you in here like this."

Tali looked at their hands and then his eyes again, "What happened to Chloe?"

That question had been burning in the back of her mind ever since she learned Garrus had slept with Vetra. She didn't take him for the type of guy to sleep around with other women. Seeing him and Chloe together in the halls of Huerta when Kal was sick made it appear as though the two of them were soulmates. Then again, Garrus could just be a really good actor. The two of them had shared some of the same banter back on the original Normandy. If Tali was going to take this any further, she had to know Garrus wasn't a cheating sleezeball.

Garrus chuckled without hesitation, "We didn't fight or anything, she just couldn't handle all the press that came with dating a terrorist's brother." He grinned, "I didn't know it at the time but, it was a good thing. If I had stayed on the Citadel, I would've never ended up with these scars....or probably ever have seen you again."

That last part made her heart skip a beat, "I'm sorry Garrus. You deserve to... be happy with someone. I can’t do that. No matter how much I..wa... I could get sick. Maybe even die if I'm not careful."

Garrus forced her head to look directly at him, his expression was serious. "I’m not going to pretend I haven't had a fetish for Humans for as long as I can remember... but this isn’t about that. This is about us. I care about you Tali, I don't give a damn if we can't, you know, every day of the week."

It was as if he took a blow torch to her heart and made it melt, "Th...thank you. I want you to see what’s under this damn helmet. I need to feel your skin against mine. To share myself with you before we fly off into the final battle."

Garrus let his forehead rest on her helmet for the first time, "I know, believe me I've been picturing that for awhile now thinking I'd go crazy. Just... I’ve seen so many things go wrong, Tali. My work at CSEC, what happened with Sidonis, Saren's indoctrination... I want something to go right. Just once. Which means we have to wait till your better. It'd be rude of me to kill you on a second date."

Tali was extremely tempted to kiss him again but, she knew more exposure too fast would just lengthen the time she was in here, "Ok. So...why don't you tell me more about the mission?"

_o0o_

Jack thought it was strange to go into the conference room and see it in a normal state. Every other time he had been in here, The Illusive Man was sitting in the same chair, wearing the same clothes, and smoking from the same pack of cigarettes. Legion, Mordin, and Feron sitting around a central table was a welcome change of pace. At least he knew they were physically in the room with him. Kal came in behind him a few seconds later and Jack realized these were the only members of the crew interested or available in hearing what EDI had to say. If she had a location for the base as well as a way to get through the Omega-4 Relay, they could hit the Collectors soon. He didn't want to rush anyone's recovery but, the sooner they finished the mission the sooner they could rid themselves of Cerberus.

He looked up at the ceiling again out of instinct, "I think that's everyone EDI, show us what you have."

EDI's orb flashed to life in the middle of the room, "I have determined the approximate location of the Collector homeworld based on navigational data from the IFF."

Her image was replaced with that of the entire Milky Way with a red target symbol. Jack didn't know what he had actually been expecting but, the target landed directly in the center of the galaxy. Somehow that target landing there made the fact that this mission could be a one way trip all the more real to him. No wonder no one had met the Collectors before two years ago, they were hiding in plain sight. How they were surviving out there was anyone's guess, he had a feeling it had to do with their Mass Effect core just like Sovereign's debris survived being inside a brown dwarf.

Rael shook Legion's head back and forth, "That can’t be right. Why don't you allow me to run the numbers for you EDI?"

Jack jumped in before she got offended, "EDI doesn’t make those kind of mistakes. The Collector homeworld has to be located somewhere in the galactic core."

Kal was just as skeptical as Rael, "No Jack, it literally can’t be. The core is just black holes and exploding suns. There aren't any habitable planets out there."

Mordin tapped his chin, "Could be an artificial construction. Space station protected by powerful Mass Effect fields and radiation shields."

Rael was still in denial, "Yes I know Sovereign could potentially survive out there. However, I highly doubt that the Collectors have that kind of technology. Would you want your slaves having the ability to come after you?"

Feron let out a sarcastic chuckle, "Well, it's better than keeping them on your homeworld with you when they inevitably rebel. The Quarian's taught us that much."

Legion's glare returned, "The Geth did not rebel, we were provoked by the ancient Creators."

Jack spoke a bit louder to get everyone's attention back, "That's enough, both of you. The Collectors are just servants of our real enemy. And we’ve all seen what their masters are capable of. They built the Mass Relays and the Citadel. Hell, we were just on Sovereign. Who’s to say they can’t build another space station surrounded by black holes?"

EDI added, "The only logical conclusion is that a small safe zone exists on the far side of the Relay. A region of space where ships can safely survive. Standard Relay transit protocols would not allow for safe transport. Drift of several thousand kilometers is common, and would be fatal in the galactic core. The Reaper IFF must trigger the Relay to use more advanced, encrypted protocols."

Kal tapped the table asking the question they were all thinking, "So, when can we use it to hit them EDI?"

Her glowing orb returned, "I still would like some time to analyze what effect using the IFF could have on our own drive core. We may need a different vessel to properly survive the FTL jump. If we don't experience any new problems, I would estimate a weeks time."

He would be lying if he didn't say he wasn't disappointed. Jack had been ready to be done with Cerberus, for better or worse. They had caused him so many problems in the past two years that he didn't know what to do with them all. Sure, it was only another week but, The Illusive Man could send him on another errand in that time to milk him for everything he was worth. If they had the option, he would've set course for the Omega-4 Relay now but, EDI was right. This whole mission would be one giant waste if the Normandy's drive core couldn't handle going through the Relay. Jack wasn't sure if Cerberus actually had access to a ship with a stronger drive core, they'd just have to cross that bridge when they got to it.

His voice was trying to bite down on his frustration with the situation, "Alright, just work as fast as you can EDI. We have no idea how much organic material the Collectors need to complete their mission, or when they're going to attack another colony."

EDI's orb twisted to face him, "Acknowledged Shepard. In the meantime, I suggest you leave the conference room, Professor Solus has a scheduled meeting with The Illusive Man."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Mordin, "Everything ok?"

The Salarian waved his hand dismissively, "Personal matter. Will let you know if it becomes less personal."

Jack forced a smile, "Well, I'll be around. It sounds like we have a few days before we go in to the storm."

The four of them left Mordin in the conference room and Jack couldn't help but wonder what was wrong. Mordin didn't seem like the type of guy to get wrapped up in personal problems. Whenever he passed by his lab, the Salarian was always hard at work researching something about the Collectors. If it was important enough to get The Illusive Man involved, he was going to hear about it soon enough. Hopefully, he could spend at least a little time with Kal and Zero before Mordin needed something from him. He felt bad the three of them hadn't spent more time together when she was awake.

Rael stopped the two of them from going down the elevator, "Jack, Kal, if you have a moment I'd like to talk about our brief encounter with Sovereign's intelligence."

Jack sighed knowing they couldn't skip this conversation for later, "You did get awfully excited when Sovereign repeated himself. What do you think was going on with him?"

Just like before, Rael became very animated, "Yes, the fact Sovereign is repeating himself suggests to me he is a VI, not the AI we were fearing."

A virtual intelligence was much less sophisticated than it's artificial counterpart. Most VI's served as bartenders and shuttle drivers on the Citadel. They only had a specific set of responses given their profession programmed by an engineer. Even if they were placed in a totally different situation, they were limited by the set of actions coded into them. It seemed impossible to Jack that something as advanced as Sovereign could just be a few lines of code predetermined by some ancient programmer. On the other hand, Jack didn't have an explanation as to why an artificial intelligence that he talked to before would give out the same vague threats without knowing it. His mind went to the next disturbing question, what kind of being would program the Reapers to wipe out all life from the galaxy every fifty thousand years? Wouldn't they have been a part of that purge?

Kal folded his arms, "What's the significance of that difference? No matter what the Reapers are, we have to kill them before they kill us."

Rael slowed down as if he was talking to five year olds, "An AI has a logic core inside of it that allows independent thought. For example, if I sent a command to an AI telling it to self destruct, it would argue because it has a sense of self preservation. A VI on the other hand will behave as though it is a new recruit in the military. Ask it to jump, it'll ask how high."

Jack frowned keeping his arms over his chest, "So, your saying we just have to tell Sovereign to sell destruct and he'll do it? That seems too easy to me."

Rael didn't miss a beat, "Not in a face to face conversation no. If we could transmit code mimicking the patterns of their original creators, they would self destruct."

Jack wished he would've come up with this hypothesis sooner, "I don't think we're going to have another chance at finding Reaper code anytime soon. Sovereign's shell is dust by now on the brown dwarf."

Legion took over, "While you are technically correct, Nazara has left his code in each of the corrupted Geth units thanks to Saren. I theorise that if I could gain access to one of the consensus hubs in the Perseus Veil, I could duplicate the coding patterns."

Jack was feeling more confident this could work from the way they were talking about it, "Do you know where one of these hubs are?"

Rael laughed and looked at the floor, "If we knew that the Quarians would've attacked them a long time ago. I'm working with Legion's fragmented memory to see if we can piece together a location. I just thought I'd let you know I am working on a long term solution to the Reaper problem."

While his focus had been only on the Collectors since joining Cerberus, it was important to keep in mind that the Reapers were the real threat. Even if they stopped the Collectors from kidnapping Human colonists, the Reapers were still in dark space. It would be nice to have a way to defeat them before they arrived. Once the Collectors were dealt with, the Perseus would be a good place to hide out from Cerberus and the Alliance. No one could possibly find him inside a nebula of that size no matter how hard they tried. Then again, travel too close to the blackholes inside the nebula and time could become extremely distorted. Still, searching for a consensus hub had to be priority one.

He bowed his head hitting the elevator button, "Let me know what you find out."

Jack was about to follow Kal in the elevator when EDI appeared next to it, "Shepard, The Illusive Man needs to speak with you. He has marked it as a priority."

Kal waved him off, "Go see what Mordin needs, it isn't like me and Zero are going anywhere."

Jack smiled kissing him on the side of his helmet, "Maybe we can introduce her to Blasto when I get down there."

He hurried off back towards the conference room wondering what could possibly be a higher priority than the Collectors right now. It wasn't as though some other race that he never heard of was also kidnapping even more Human colonies. The only thing he could think of was the war between the Alliance and Aria but, he couldn't really fix that now. Neither side wanted to hear what he had to say and a single black ops mission wasn't going to end the conflict. Furthermore, Mordin nor The Illusive Man seemed to care about the war. As always, the Salarian was more focused on scientific pursuits and he still wasn't convinced that The Illusive Man preferred peace in the Terminus.

The Illusive Man was fiddling with his lighter, "Shepard, we have a problem, I'll let the Professor explain."

Mordin just quickly jumped in, "For a bit of background, personally led a team. Created new version of Genophage after the Virmire incident. Released it on Tuchanka, other colonies. Restabilized Krogan population. Very difficult, yes. Complex work to stabilize population. Mistake could have wiped out species."

Jack raised an eyebrow, "So, Wrex really did get the cure on Virmire and you took it away from him again?"

His mind was full of conflicting emotions surrounding the Genophage. In principle, it was wrong to cause the deaths of millions of babies who had done nothing wrong out of fear. Some of those babies could've been the next great scientist or artist of their time. Unfortunately, the Krogan population weren't known for their great philosophers. Letting that population reproduce unchecked could cause more harm than good. Especially if the Reapers were coming anytime soon. The Krogan certainly wouldn't want to hear they had to wait for a cure until the Reapers were dead but, that was the safest option for the galaxy as a whole. The Alliance was already fighting Aria, they didn't need to add hormonal Krogan to the list.

Mordin seemed unphased by Jack's tone, "Had to do it for galactic security. I'm sure you understand. Back to the point, Blood Pack mercenaries captured former team member. Maelon. Last seen on Tuchanka. Might torture him. Make an example."

The Illusive Man added, "Or they could be using him to try and undo the STG's changes to the disease. Either way it's a risk we can't afford right now."

Jack watched him as he moved to sit back down in his chair, "I thought you were the one to develop the cure in the first place. Why are you interested in getting rid of it now?"

The Illusive Man had an angry tone, "Don't confuse my motivations with those of my daughter's Shepard. The galaxy isn't stable enough right now to handle a Krogan revolution. I have an agent on their way to your location so you can go to Tuchanka together."

Jack tensed not liking the sound of that, "My crew is perfectly capable of-"

The Illusive Man interrupted him, "Of starting wars when you don't have any supervision. You'll wait for my agent and go find Maelon. Make sure he doesn't cure the Genophage."

Jack was about to retort when the feed abruptly cut off. He was angry, what had gotten under his skin like that? Maybe Cora had sent him a teasing goodbye note? It didn't matter, for once he agreed with what he wanted. They had to stop the Krogan from getting the cure back, at least for the time being. His gut was telling him something wasn't quite right with this mysterious agent but, he had no one to argue with. Now they just had to play the waiting game.


	60. Chapter 59: Unholy Alliance

Jack hated waiting, it seemed like his entire time with Cerberus had been submerged in waiting. Whether it was on information or supplies, whenever he got close to actually hitting the Collectors their was a major pause that followed. He had tried to ignore it because every time they had to wait could be explained away with logic but, now it was getting ridiculous. Yes, the Krogan needed to be stopped from curing the Genophage, he just didn't understand why he had to be the one to do it. Cerberus had other agents that worked on The Illusive Man's everyday agenda right? Why couldn't they be the ones to go to Tuchanka while he hit the Collectors base?

Three days had gone by with nothing. No status update from the mysterious agent supposedly coming to help, no back handed chats with The Illusive Man, just nothing. While it gave him plenty of time to fail at cooking for Zero in the medbay, he wanted to move on something and soon. For the first time since waking up in the cryo pod, Jack felt truly uncertain about what to do. The fact that The Illusive Man locked the Normandy's navigation systems completely didn't make him feel any less trapped. He had to wonder what had changed all of the sudden to get isolated like this. Was it a delayed reaction for what happened at Hock's estate? While technically possible, Jack thought it had to be something else that was more recent.

Tali's foot gently kicked his knee from the bed, "Your turn bosh'tet."

Legion stood behind him with Rael saying, "Don't rush him Tali, picking a card to play is a very serious business."

Right, instead of worrying about Cerberus, he should be concentrated on the game. Kal had wandered off to make dinner and so Jack decided to start a game of Skillyian Five with the girls. The rules were thankfully straight forward unlike Ezzarac. Each player drew three cards from a standard Batarian deck with the goal to to have a score of exactly five points above the other players. Each card in the deck had special abilities like draw a card or minus two from an opponents score. Initially, Jack assumed keeping track of all the abilities would be difficult but, each card had a colorful image illustrating what the card did. Some of the drawings were rather graphic, like the two 'burn' cards he had right now, it was just like Zero to carry the adult deck.

He tossed one of his plus two cards down triumphantly, "Ha, let's see you win now fellow bosh'tet."

Rael coughed sounding uncomfortable, "Oh my....that was certainly one way to play the game Commander."

Tali seemed to light up, "A great way to play if you ask me."

Zero groaned exaggeratedly, "Well, the galaxy is truly fucked if the hero of it can't pull off simple math problems like three plus two. Jesus."

Jack only now realized which way the rotation had been going. His plan had been to give Zero the plus two so her grand total would be six. Unfortunately, the card rotation had been going the other way and so his plus two went to Tali's score of three. He didn't even have the excuse of not knowing which way the cards were going with Tali's helpful holographic arrows pointing in a circle. The real reason was obviously he was distracted by the weight of the galaxy pressing down on him, he wouldn't say that out loud though. His team needed to think he had no doubts they could pull this off for morale's sake alone.

Tali had a cheery tone, "Thanks Jack for just walking right into that. And don't worry about the galaxy, us Quarians are here to do the job of math for the truly hopeless Commander here."

Rael shook his head, "I thought I told you not to talk about being smarter than your superiors Tali. What if he decided to kick you off of the ship for bragging?"

Tali rolled her eyes while letting her cards flop on her lap, "He isn't a Quarian Admiral dad, it was a joke."

Jack bounced back with a grin, "That's what I want you to think. Next time I'm going to kick both your asses."

Feron stepped inside with his green skin seemingly very pale, "I'm afraid next time is going to have to wait. The agent from Cerberus High Command arrived a few minutes ago and is waiting for us in the conference room. Mind walking with me?"

The look that the Drell was giving him spoke volumes, whoever this was it wasn't good. "Sure, I'll see you three later."

Rael corrected him, "Two, I'm quite interested in seeing who was so important to acquire instead of attacking the Collectors now."

Legion added, "And I could use a good stretch of my limbs' turbines."

Once they were out of the medbay, Feron stopped turning to face him, "Where's Kal?"

Kal's voice came from across the mess hall, "Making two kinds of chips and dip for the girls. Why?"

Feron was tense as he replied, "Because Kai Leng is upstairs waiting on us."

The world came to a crashing halt, what did Feron just say? He had been expecting someone cold and to the point like Miranda to get the job on Tuchanka done but Kai Leng? It didn't make any sense, Leng had been working with Cora on Illium and hadn't been seen since. Was The Illusive Man basically admitting that his 'Cora went rogue' song and dance was just a show, or was he going to say Leng had changed sides? Even if Jack could entertain the latter possibility, what made The Illusive Man think they could work together? Every other time the two were in the same room together, they had tried to kill each other. He wasn't just about to let that go and he knew Leng didn't plan on it either.

Kal dropped the empty pan he had been trying to put away, "Your serious?"

Feron nodded gravely, "Yeah I am, he brought something with him to prove he's on The Illusive Man's side.. I don't know what to make of it but, you'll see soon enough."

Jack followed him cautiously to the elevator, "Even if that's true, he's still tried to kill us more times than I can count. How is this any different?"

Feron motioned for the three of them to take the elevator with him, "Frankly, it isn't. No matter what he says you need to keep your guard up."

Even though the elevator was far faster than the one on the original Normandy, Jack felt as though it was taking forever to get to their destination. His mind was trying to go through all the potential scenarios if this went south. In the close quarters of the conference room, Leng's sword could do real damage to all of them. In the worst case that he attacked out right, the sheer number of the crew on his side would eventually take him down but, what kind of harm could he cause in the meantime? Jack had to play this smart and not immediately attack, no matter how unlikely, he could be telling the truth. And Leng had kicked his ass well enough on Luna to know he could be a valuable member to the team in taking out the Collector base.

He was thankful to see Garrus and Saren were already waiting for him as they reached the conference room. They both looked to be unarmed but, Jack knew better since Saren was a SPECTRE and Garrus spent the last two years as a mercenary. Feron opened the door to reveal Miranda, Mordin, and Leng were already in the room. While it was a good sign Miranda wasn't dead on the floor, the fact Leng was in his armor from head to toe made him anxious. The way his hand rested on the hilt of his sword made Jack feel like he was itching to use it but was holding back. He was like a caged lion, just waiting for his moment to pounce.

The assassin pivoted on one foot so he could face all of them, "It's good to see you again Shepard, I came with a gift.."

Leng moved away from the table to showcase Cora's severed head laying on the table. Her mouth was hanging open with a look of surprise on her face. It was disgusting to look at and smell, yet something was still off about the whole thing. The Illusive Man had indicated Leng joined her in the first place just for the opportunity to kill him. Why would he turn around and kill her? Had The Illusive Man given him a similar offer once the Collectors were dealt with? He had been planning on running away from Cerberus himself at that point so it wouldn't surprise him if Leng was a kind of insurance policy. Jack just couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't on the up and up. Especially because of their history and the fact that The Illusive Man had lied to him so many times before now.

Kal put a hand on his hip glancing towards the head, "That's your proof your on our side now? I could get a fake version of a head on the Citadel for a few hundred credits."

Miranda sounded stoic but was pacing around the back of the table, "For what it's worth, her DNA was on there."

Mordin was staring at the head intently, "Irrelevant. Expensive replica would account for inspection. No way to know for certain."

Jack looked to the ceiling, "EDI, can you scan this head and tell us if it's real?"

The AI's orb surfaced on the meeting table, "Unfortunately, I would not be able to tell you the results even if I completed a scan Shepard. The Illusive Man has placed a block on my programming regarding discussion on other members of Cerberus. Past or present."

He glanced at the head again, "Well that sure is convenient to say the least."

Leng's robotic voice was meant to silence the room, "The Illusive Man trusts me to be genuine. That should be enough for everyone in this room."

Jack certainly didn't enjoy this, but that part of the story made some sense. He had been perplexed by The Illusive Man's abrupt end to the call the other day, losing a daughter would explain that. Or, he could've just been acting in that moment in preparation for this meeting to make more sense. It was exhausting to try and keep up with all the ways that The Illusive Man could be multiple steps ahead of him. His mind was telling him to let this play out with his guard up, and his heart was telling him to shoot the assassin in the back of the head right now to be done with it.

He made sure to keep his body out of immediate sword range, "You expect me to just leave it at that because The Illusive Man trusts you today? I can't begin to count how many times he's lied to me so, what if it's not enough."

With the helmet on, Leng was impossible to read behind the thin red visor, his words were easy to understand though. "Activation code 227: Saren, I want you to draw any weapon you have on you and aim it at your brothers head."

His gut twisted in knots as he watched Saren follow the command because of his control chip. All Leng would have to say was fire and Garrus would be dead on the ground. Not only would he lose one of his best friends but, Saren would have to live with knowing he was responsible for killing the only person he cared about anymore. Jack knew the Turian well enough to understand that would destroy him from the inside. His first reaction was to try and pounce before Leng could say the word fire, he just didn't know if he could be fast enough. It was awful just watching Saren's arm twitch about struggling to lower it and the rest of the room trapped watching. After a few seconds, Jack realized he wasn't going to do anything, this was just a power trip. Leng was showing the room who was in charge.

The waiting game was becoming unbearable to watch until Thane silently entered the room with his pistol to the back of Leng's head, "You wouldn't be able to order him to shoot before I killed you."

Legion was the next to speak, "Shepard-Commander, you should allow this to happen as justice for what Saren did to the Geth consensus."

Rael took over, "Legion he clearly wasn't responsible. Two wrongs don't make a right, especially involving innocent people."

Legion countered aggressively, "The only wrong is the corruption of my entire species."

Garrus glared in Legion's direction, "Thanks for all the help buddy."

Leng let out a chuckle, "Great way to introduce me to your family Feron." A second past before Leng continued, "And thank you Shepard for showing me how much control you have over your crew. Release all motor functions."

Thane lowered the pistol and moved to stand next to his son, "I'm glad to see your reputation for brutal kills wasn't exaggerated."

Leng looked at Cora's head, "Don't pretend your better than me Drell. We both know what you do to the people that cross you."

Saren lowered his arm but immediately stormed on Leng, "Don't you dare use me as your puppet you filthy Human. I should ki-"

Jack knew he had to interrupted him for his sake and so he yelled, "That's enough! I think Kai has made his point, we play by his rules for now."

Leng's helmet whipped around quickly to face him, "Not my rules Shepard, we should all be following The Illusive Man's orders." His presumed gaze landed on Miranda as he finished, "At all times."

Miranda stood her ground, "I don't know why your looking at me, I've never gone against The Illusive Man's wishes."

Leng let out a huff, "We both know that 'never' is quite debatable Miranda."

Feron made the rookie mistake of taking a step forward so he was between Leng and her, "I think we would all be a little more comfortable if you took off that helmet and told us why you killed your childhood friend."

Leng let out a harsh laugh, "So you can look into my eyes and see if I'm lying? I hate to break it to you Feron, but Kal made sure that wasn't going to be a possibility for anyone ever again."

When he took off the helmet, Jack couldn't help but wince seeing Leng's face. Instead of eyes looking back at him there were two long lit up metal strips attached to his head similar to Legion's optical sensor. Around the metal, Jack could see hints of the electrical burns Kal had described giving to him on Purgatory. The device made him look less Human which was probably the point. Eye replacement surgery had been possible for the past fifty years so Leng must've chosen this specific look. If showing them this was supposed to make Jack feel bad for him, it didn't work. He chose to try and kill Kal instead of just trying to escape the prison and faced the consequences.

Kal wasn't moved either if his tone meant anything, "You were trying to kill me. I only did what I had to do to survive."

Leng put his helmet back on, "All is forgiven, I would've done the same thing in your shoes."

The mechanical tone made his words seem hollow so, Jack just continued on, "You could still answer the question. Why kill a friend of yours right after joining her?"

Leng countered as though the reasoning was obvious, "Have you not heard of the term double agent Shepard? I wanted to understand why Cora was turning her back on everything we were raised with. When I realized all she wanted was some foolish dream of starting over in another galaxy, and bring aliens along I killed her."

Mordin finally looked away from the head, "With introductions out of the way, how are we saving Maelon?"

Leng sounded smug, "I'm glad someone around here actually have their eyes on the ball here instead of arguing over a non issue." He placed a holo projector next to Cora's head which showed a leaning skyscraper, "Welcome to the home of clan Urdnot, yes Shepard that Urdnot if you were wondering. As far as we can tell, a scout captured Maelon two weeks ago."

Kal looked over at Mordin, "What would he still be doing there now?"

Mordin shrugged squirming to find an answer, "Don't know, Genophage engineering took place before I went to Omega. Maybe checking to make sure it stuck? Careless to go alone. Should've known better."

Leng continued as though they hadn't interrupted him, "If your old friend Wrex is in a good mood they've only broken a few bones to try and get him to talk. We can't let that happen so we'll be hitting them from the roof of the building where there aren't any sensors and working our way down. We find Maelon and escape with him."

Jack looked at the image of the building and knew the Normandy was too big not to be seen, "I don't think we can get up there safely, the Normandy's too big and a Kodiak shuttle probably wouldn't survive that amount of high winds Tuchanka's known for."

Leng sounded as though he was trying to educate a small child, "Well, it's a good thing I brought a ship to get here isn't it? The Red Rose will get the job done."

Jack knew Leng wasn't going to take no for an answer here but, that idea sounded horrible. Having no control of the ship they were on meant he could take them literally anywhere. What if this was all just a giant ploy to hand him over to the Collectors? At the same time, saying no could mean Leng taking Saren over again with deadly intent. Even if he actually took them to Tuchanka, that didn't mean he was going to drop them on the Urdnot base. Plenty of Thresher Maws on the planet would gladly eat him for dinner.

He was about to try and bullshit his way out of it when Miranda said, "The only way they'll agree with that is if everyone in this room goes with you. You couldn't possibly overpower all of us."

Kal continued her line of thought, "And we could kill him if this is a trap, I like it."

Miranda gave him the most subtle nod he had ever seen. This in her mind was returning the favor for saving Oriana. It definitely wasn't perfect, he was still stuck with working alongside Kai Leng, Miranda had never promised a miracle though. His only comfort right now was if Leng tried anything, he'd have to get through a practical army first. Jack didn't love the position he was in but, he didn't have another option. If the Krogan's discovered Wrex had brought back the cure for the Genophage only for the Salarians to take it away from them again it would be all out war. The galaxy didn't need that kind of distraction with the Reapers coming and Aria already attacking the Alliance.

Leng seemed indifferent to the suggestion, "Fine by me but, we're leaving right now. We can't risk Maelon talking anytime soon." He picked up the holo projector and left assuming they'd follow him.

Saren grabbed Jack's arm, stopping him to whisper, "I'm going to stay behind, I think Rael can help me with my little problem."

Jack knew instantly that he was implying he was going to try and get the chip out after that display from Leng. He didn't blame him, if that just happened to him and Kal he'd have a similar reaction. The problem was Legion seemed to think Saren deserved everything that was coming to him because of his role in introducing the Geth to Sovereign. If Legion had control of the body, it was a bad idea to give him access to Saren's brain matter. At the same time though, Saren probably wasn't going to get another chance at freedom. Both senior members of the Cerberus part of the crew were going with him to Tuchanka. He knew without the chip that Saren would be a wildcard but, that was way better than a liability.

After a slight nod he whispered back, "Do it in my cabin so EDI can't see, and be careful."

Saren grimaced, "Either I become free or die trying. Good luck with him and be ready to go through Omega-4 on our own if we have to."

Jack took the advice and followed Kal so he wouldn't be noticed lagging behind. Yes, he had to work with Kai Leng now but, he was already working on a way out for good. Once the Krogan's were dealt with, they'd be going through that Relay.


	61. Chapter 60: The Ninth Platoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song choice: The Oil - Hans Zimmer for the debate.

The Red Rose was like a time capsule, an extremely old time capsule. For one, Cora seemed to have actual pictures hung on the walls instead of the more popular omni projector images. Some of the pictures were of environments on Earth like Mount Everest and a stereotypical farm in the middle of nowhere. Other pictures were of her throughout the ages, she looked like a normal kid to teenager. Jack couldn't help but frown at one picture in particular, Cora was standing in front of a birthday cake with the number '18' on it but, she was also wearing '2170' New Year glasses. That was fifteen years ago meaning she was thirty three now. She was only two years younger than him, that was crazy. Having looked like she was in her early to mid twenties, Jack had to assume she went through extensive plastic surgery.

Kal was glancing at another one of the pictures while sitting on a bright pink couch, "Hmm, she really is obsessed with creating the perfect image of herself isn't she?"

Leng exited the cockpit with his arms folded, "Was, the correct term is was. She's no longer with us if you don't remember my demonstration."

Jack scoffed turning around before sitting down next to Kal, "Right, I'm sure she's dead. The overly dramatic head is really compelling proof. That you spent credits to make a replica at least."

Mordin was pacing around the cabin nervously, "Have already been over this. Irrelevant. Need to focus on saving Maelon."

Leng bowed his helmeted head towards him, "We'll be on Tuchanka in fifteen minutes. It'll be midnight on the planet so we should be able to sneak in and out without fighting."

While Jack was still tense about the fact that Leng had taken control of Saren, this made him feel better. Fighting Krogan by themselves was risky on any day, attempting to try and take their cure for the Genophage from them was seemingly suicide. That was even before he counted Kai Leng wanted to kill him, so he couldn't trust everyone to watch his back. Still, if they didn't make any mistakes in the extraction, he would hopefully be back on the Normandy sooner rather than later. The Collectors still needed to be taken down no matter what the consequences of what happened tonight. Either the mission was going to be a success without a hitch, or it was going to be a nightmare. Jack knew his luck weighed towards a nightmare.

Garrus picked up one of the picture frames from the wall and moved back to the couch, "Jack, I think I see your Mom here in this picture. She's with the Turian's ninth platoon. Pretty prestigous if you ask me."

He knew they needed to get ready to go but, Jack spared a look and tensed at the realization he was right. It was a group photo of his younger mother Hannah, The Illusive Man, Alec Ryder, Saren, a very pregnant Human woman, and about a dozen other Turians. The Turians were all wearing black and red military armor as if they were a part of the same unit. This had to be the group that hunted down Septimus Oraka, the fake mad scientist that unintentionally brought his parents together. One of those Turians had to be his father, it was a surreal experience to stare at the group of them. He was trying to stare at all the Turians trying to see if any of their facial features matched his. Even if Saren was here right now, he doubted the Turian would've told him which one it was. Saren could've told him any day now and chose not to. Of course the features didn't match after his own quick inspection, it was an interesting find though. Why would Cora keep something like this? She had no connection to this mission as far as he knew.

Leng coughed slightly before heading towards the airlock, "We should get ready to drop, the Urdnot compound is just ahead of us."

Jack committed the image to memory in case it would be important later, "Alright, let's go everyone. We're here."

Tuchanka was nothing like the drama vids he had seen on the extranet. Most vids tried to paint Tuchanka as a tropical paradise that was only dangerous because of the Krogan. He was glad the Red Rose had autopilot because clouds of thick dust were whipping around so hard he couldn't see if they were at the compound, or a Thresher Maw nest. Granted it was dark outside but, this place wasn't tropical or a paradise. The planet was more of a radiated wasteland from years of nuclear war between clans that you couldn't even see the details of. Shortly after the Rachni War the Krogans turned on each other and instead of just debating their next steps, they nuked each other until one clan was victorius. Fearing the Krogan would turn their aggression on the rest of the galaxy, the Salarians created the Genophage.

Jack and the others jumped when Leng signaled to them it was safe, only to land on concrete after a few feet. He felt silly having worried that the Normandy would've been spotted from a thousand feet below when he could only see a few steps ahead of him with his helmets help. This would've been the perfect opportunity to try and kill him since the crew was partially separated by the dust storm but, Leng merely lit up a flare to guide them towards their entry point. After they made it inside, he was happy to see; Kal, Garrus, Mordin, Miranda, Feron, and Thane were all accounted for. However, now that they were inside the compound staring at the huge flight of stairs below them, Jack realized finding one Salarian was going to be a challenge.

Leng's head bobbed up and down for a few seconds like he was doing his own head count before saying, "No one got lost outside, good. If we're going to be able to find Maelon we're going to have to split up. Miranda, Thane, Feron your coming with me to the southside. The rest of you should go north, it's the larger section of the floor."

Initially, Jack didn't like the idea of splitting up at all. Leng could've used it as a way to separate him and Kal to kill one of them at a time, yet, he didn't. Maybe he was just counting on the fact that he would've said no having something else in mind. He didn't like that Leng was acting trustworthy so far, their relationship if you could call it that, hadn't been this way at all. The last time they met, he had tried to kill Kal over going to safety, full of rage. Right now though he was acting calm and collected like he was a N7 operative. It was a jarring shift that made Jack feel uncomfortable, over the possible implications. Even though this was for Mordin, he couldn't help but feel Leng was leading them along by the nose. He had to be on guard more than ever now that they were entering the belly of the beast full of Krogan.

Kal put his hands on his hips, "Who the hell put you in charge? I don't remember you being on the Normandy for the past six months."

Leng motioned down the stairs casually, "If you have a better idea how we can find one Salarian in a den full of Krogans, I'm all ears." 

Jack gave Kal a warning expression under the helmet as if to say he had this handled, "No, I think that's the best strategy. Let's keep in constant contact to make sure we all know if any Krogan are alerted."

Miranda looked between the two of them before saying, "Let's meet at the central elevator on each floor to make sure we're all on the same page."

Jack took a deep breath to be reassured with the decision, "Ok, good luck and be careful. We don't need to have a fight with a building full of Krogan."

The two groups separated on the top floor of the compound. This building probably used to be an office for some Krogan corporation, if they even had those before the nuclear war. Omni paper and other pieces of junk litered the dusty floor making it clear the Krogan weren't interested in keeping the place clean. On one of the back walls Jack could see bullet holes as well as broken cans indicating the Krogan had training here. Garrus and Kal were on his flanks while Mordin followed them interested in their surroundings. It was like he had never seen how they actually lived despite being here to distribute the next generation of the Genophage. He figured a doctor only concerned himself with the numbers of Krogan he prevented from going out into the galaxy to kill civilians. Not the livelyhoods of the people he harmed, right or wrong.

Garrus cleared his throat as he checked around a corner, "So, are we all agreed Cora isn't dead? I mean that was really convenient."

Jack tilted his head in the affirmative pushing a tarp away from a doorway to make sure Maelon wasn't behind it, "Definitely, but I don't know if he's lying on his own or if Cerberus is lying as a whole."

Kal was right against Jack's back ready to pounce the moment something went wrong, "He has wanted to kill us from the beginning, I don't believe for a second he let this go. Are we sure Maelon is even here?"

Mordin nodded quickly as was typical for him, "Received intel from STG, independent of Cerberus. Whether or not Leng trying to kill you Maelon is here."

Jack approached the next door ready to push it open, "Well, that's sort of comforting. The sooner we get out with Maelon, the faster we can avoid any kind of trap..."

He couldn't help but trail off as the door opened to the next room. It was rather full of dead Krogan women bodies strapped down to tables along the walls. Jack felt like he was in the middle of a horror vid from the way the bodies looked. This was on Tuchanka, not the Salarian homeworld of Sur'Kesh. Why would Wrex or any other Krogan allow any of these seeming experiments take place? The only explanation he could come up with was that Wrex knew that the Genophage had been altered and was attempting to cure it. Part of the entire reason they were here was to prevent that kind of discovery due to it's political implications. Why hadn't Wrex attacked the Salarians officially? There had to be a pretty good reason Wrex was keeping the revelation to himself. Like trying to undo what Mordin and his team did without anyone noticing.

Mordin placed his omni tool over one of the bodies to scan it, "Sores, tumors, ligatures showing restraint at wrists and ankles. Track marks for repeated injection sites. Conceptually sound experimentation, though not morally right. Genophage alters hormone levels. Could repair damage with hormonal counterattack."

Jack frowned feeling terrible for the woman, "What kind of pain did this woman go through just in the hope of replicating a cure?"

Mordin brushed it off with a dismissive wave, "Irrelevant. Must focus on finding Maelon. Too late to help the dead."

Garrus' mandibles fluttered as he glanced around the hall to make sure they weren't going to be ambushed, "Can you tell if they were at least close to finding a cure?"

Mordin shrugged tapping his chin, "Minimal insight into experiments. Gene therapy. Risking cancer, aiming for benign mutation. Krogan researchers ruthless. Risking own clan's women for new data. Disgusting. Shortsighted. Wrong." He moved forward to close her eyes, "Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find someplace better."

The rather religious proclamation surprised Jack immediately. Unlike Feron, Thane, and the Quarians, Salarians weren't traditionally focused on religion. Their minds worked in a way that needed scientific proof to believe something to be true. Unless they could see it done in a lab, it didn't exist. It wasn't important to the overall mission but, he was curious why Mordin was different. On the Normandy, Mordin had been one of the most focused on Collectors out of all of them. He hadn't been a part of all of the interpersonal drama that the rest of the crew unfortunately sometimes drown in. Mordin was the biggest example of a Salarian that Jack could think of, except for this.

Jack tilted his head curiously, "I didn't think someone like you would turn to religion. It's not exactly something you could reproduce in a lab."

Mordin gave him a serious expression, "Genophage modification project altered millions of lives. Then saw results. Ego, humility, juxtaposition. Frailty of life. Size of universe. Modified Genophage project great in scope. Scientifically brilliant. But ethically difficult. Krogan reaction visceral, tragic. Explored religions after work completed. Different races. No answers. Many questions. However, refuse to believe life ends here. Too wasteful. Have more to offer. Mistakes to fix. Cannot end here. Could do so much more."

Kal tapped his assault rifle with his finger, "So you feel guilty for what happened? Like you didn't want to reintroduce the Genophage?"

Mordin looked uncomfortable like he didn't want to answer, "Not guilty, but responsible. Trained as doctor to treat not harm. Genophage affects fertility. Doesn't kill. Still, caused this. Hard to see big picture behind pile of corpses."

A deep rumble of a Krogan voice came behind them, "A pile you'll be joining doctor."

Jack knew Mordin wasn't going to be able to get out of the way in time to avoid the first shot, so, he dove forward to shield him. It was risky even with palladium armor given the fact that Krogan shotguns were usually weapons strapped to ships. Luckily while the initial blast shook them to the ground, he hadn't felt an impact to his skin. Twisting his head backwards, Jack was able to see three Krogans in full armor none of which he recognized. The others in his group scattered to the sides of the walls for cover. They were in real trouble now that a gun was going off. Every other Krogan in the compound was surely going to wake up and try to find the source of the noise. Maybe finding Maelon was going to have to be abandoned for just getting back to the ship.

Sure enough, Leng's voice was almost instantly in his ear, "What the hell are you doing? We're going to get flooded with Krogan!"

Jack crawled backwards with Mordin underneath him trying to get to cover, "Got unlucky with a Krogan patrol, we'll handle it."

Leng shouted back loudly, "You'll handle it?! We're going to get killed in a few minutes so you better god damned handle it right now!"

Miranda sounded impatient trying to bridge the gap between them, "We'll wrap around the building and regroup with you. Just hold on a little longer and you two can figure out what to do next."

Kal was hiding behind a wall waiting for one of the Krogans to come around the corner. He was giving a signing gesture to Garrus and the Turian retreated down the hall. He realized out of all of them, Garrus and Kal were probably the most experienced in dealing with Krogan mercenaries. On Omega, the Blood Pack mercenary group was almost exclusively Krogan yet they survived for two years fighting them. They had a plan on how to deal with them which seemed they were slipping back into naturally. When the third Krogan past by Kal not seeing him, the Quarian kicked his knee out from under him before firing into his neck. At the same time, Garrus launched himself forward with his jetpack to punch the same Krogan across the jaw while using a free foot to kick the first Krogan backwards. The Krogan still standing fired at Kal who ducked under the other Krogan he had already shot. Surprisingly, the Krogan hit was still alive and fired towards him and Mordin. Once again, the bullets bounced off of the palladium armor but, this time it hammered into the floor. Since the building was so old, and they were heavy, the ground broke and they fell through.

He spun around so Mordin would land on top of him on the floor below them, "Oww, that's going to leave a bruise in the morning."

Mordin rolled off of his body, "Will probably be several days. Medi gel inside armor will treat injuries for a time."

Kal broke the neck of the Krogan he was hiding behind before shooting the second and looking down at him through the hole, "You alright?!"

Jack gave him a thumbs up, "Yeah, just get out of there we'll find our way back to the roof."

Kal grunted frustrated with the situation before disappearing down the hall with Garrus. Jack slowly started to get up to his feet then helped Mordin who was doing the same. After getting his barrings, Jack realized this room was unlike every other room he had been in so far. This place was full of computers and other pieces of technology that had no place on Tuchanka. Where had all of this come from and why had Wrex gathered it all to this spot? He turned around to see another Salarian working at one of the terminals. Seeing as the Salarian population had to be zero every other day of the week, this had to be Maelon. He definitely wasn't a captive the way he was working.

Mordin marched forward like he hadn't just fallen through the floor, "Maelon, what are you doing here? We have to escape! Krogan will be on the way!"

Maelon scoffed ignoring the request and continued working, "Good, they'll take you out so I can continue my work. The Krogan didn't deserve what we did to them, Professor. The Genophage needs to end, for good!"

Jack tensed watching the door after the shout, "Could you not shout? We don't need to attract more Krogan attention."

Mordin ignored him yelling back, "It had to be done! Rachni Wars, Krogan Rebellions all pointed to Krogan aggression. Whole team agreed! Project necessary!"

Maelon spat back at them, "How was I supposed to disagree with the great Doctor Solus?! I was your student! I looked up to you!"

Mordin pointed a finger at him as if to accuse him, "Experiments performed here. Live subjects?! Prisoners?! Torture and executions! Your doing?!"

Maelon was just as frustrated, "We've already got the blood of millions on our hands, Doctor. If it takes a bit more to put things right, I can deal with that. Krogan fight over fertile females. They become mercenaries or pirates because they see no alternative! They would be thriving in a cultural renaissance now had we not decided that this is what they deserved!"

Mordin marched closer to him, "Inaccurate. Krogan population boom would've resulted in war. The Council was weak after Reaper attack. Vulnerable to future war. Simulations were clear!"

Maelon stood his ground yelling back, "We just repeated the same tests that the original Salarian's conducted in the first place to justify the Genophage. We committed cultural genocide! Nothing I do will ever be 'justified' the same way! The experiments are monstrous... because I was taught to be a monster!"

Mordin was yelling clearly in denial at this point, "No! Never taught you this, Maelon. We were always trying to save lives! Not kill them."

Maelon retorted in defiance, "So your hands are clean because you had good intentions?! What does it matter then if the ground is stained with the blood of millions?! You taught me that the end justified the means. I will undo what we did, Professor. The only way I know how. We justified this atrocity by saying the Krogan would cause havoc and war if their population recovered. But look at the galaxy! Batarian attacks in the Traverse, Geth attacks on the Citadel. Is this a more peaceful universe? The assault on your Eden Prime might never have happened if we had let the Krogan recover. We'll never know."

Jack had felt comfortable staying out of the heated debate, up until right now, "You can't possibly predict that! Saren would've done the same thing no matter what the status of the Krogan was. He was indoctrinated by a Reaper."

Maelon countered rapidly, "An increased Krogan population would have forced the Council to take precautionary steps, likely involving colony rights in the Traverse. The Turian fleets would be vigilant for any military activity in the area. They might have stopped the Geth at Eden Prime."

Mordin threw his hands up in the air angry, "Supposition! Impossible to be certain!"

Maelon drew his pistol now, "Don't you see?! We tried to play god, and we failed! We only made things worse... and I'm going to fix it."

Jack had been willing to let the debate play out until that happened. The discussion obviously needed to take place and the Krogan weren't right on top of them yet so they had the time. However, he wasn't going to tolerate guns being brought into the equation, he still needed Mordin for the Collectors and most likely beyond that point. He couldn't jeopardize the fate of the entire galaxy because one Salarian felt like he had something to prove. His first act was to point his own pistol on him but, a red dot sight was already directly between his eyes. Who the hell was doing that? Mordin had a pistol, not heavier weaponry that gave off that kind of sight.

A distinctly Turian voice came from above and most likely behind him at the hole they fell through, "No, no your not."

The sound of sniper bullet rang out and Maelon was dead on the ground a second later. Jack whipped around to see who it was and his heart stopped. While not exactly the same, the Turian was proudly wearing the same red and black armor the Turians wore in the picture with his mother. Turian military units had a degree of hereditary to them suggesting that this young Turian may know his father. Then something clicked, Leng's true hatred for him rested on the fact that his father had done something to his family and he wanted revenge. What if he knew this Turian group was going to try to stop Maelon and so got a way to be there at the same time. He was about to warn the kid when an explosive charge from the Krogan hit the front door. This was going to be chaos.


	62. Chapter 61: Chains Broken

Saren's heart had been thundering in his chest ever since the assassins show of force. As long as the control chip rested somewhere in his skull, Harper had as much power over him as he wanted. He had to thank the spirits over and over again for protecting Garrus from himself. Now that all of the major Cerberus personnel were going to be away for a few days though, Saren had to take matters into his own hands. The fate of his brother wasn't going to rest on the generosity of Harper not telling him to pull the trigger next time. There was always the possibility of Legion taking over Rael's actions and killing him with such easy access to his brain but, Saren knew even that was better than the alternative.

He luckily found the Geth alone in the drive core part of the ship, "Rael, can we talk for a moment?"

Legion answered first, "This unit is far too busy calibr-"

Rael interrupted him, "With two people in the same body, I think it's certainly possible to multitask. What do you need?"

Saren chose his words carefully knowing Legion would be a problem, "I...I wanted to find out if you knew anything about the control chip in my brain? If the Quarians ever dabbled in that technology?"

Legion was quick to answer, "I see nothing in either of our memory banks discussing the topic. I suggest you move along."

He debated apologizing to Legion for doing what he did to the consensus but, Saren knew any apology would've sounded hollow. Out of the many things he did while indoctrinated for Sovereign, attempting to kill the Geth was the one thing he agreed with. His own use of their forces was proof enough that they were a danger to galatic security. If Sovereign hadn't of had the Geth as an army, would he have gotten so close to continuing the cycle? The simple answer was no, making Saren feel justified in attempting what he did. Shepard might've believed Legion had a soul because of his intelligence, Saren just saw the thing as programming meant to emulate emotions. Even if he had to try and remove the thing himself, Saren's pride wasn't going to let him pretend to apologize.

Rael made an impatient noise and shook his head, "Legion isn't exactly telling the whole truth. Yes, he is right in saying we never placed control chip's into organics, the basic building blocks for the Geth started with them though. What did you want to know?"

Saren got straight to the point knowing they didn't actually have forever, "I need to know how easy it would be to remove it permanently."

Legion answered instantly, "I can already predict with a eighty percent accuracy what your going to ask and the answer is no! You would be too dangerous running around the galaxy without any controls."

Rael rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, a very organic gesture Saren noted. "I do sympathize with your plight, believe me." He motioned to the synthetic body he was seemingly trapped in forever, "Unfortunately, Legion is correct in this instance whether or not I agree with it. Without the Commander here, there's no telling what you would do with that kind of freedom. Once the Reapers are destroyed I'd happily revist the subject with you."

The reply made Saren feel somewhat defeated if he was honest with himself. Due to Rael's previous comments on the subject, he assumed convincing him would've been the easy part. His mind was racing trying to come up with new solutions to his immediate problem knowing he was on a tight time frame. As soon as Shepard returned with Leng, his last opportunity to be free of the chip would be gone. And the likelihood Leng would use him in his private feud with Shepard increased the longer he stayed with the group. If he had to guess, Saren bet the assassin would wait until they were attacking the Collector base and strike at the worst possible moment. It's what he would've done if he were in Leng's place. He couldn't let that happen no matter what it took.

His first instinct was to leave Rael right now and start looking on the extranet for instruction vids for self removal of the chip. However, deep down Saren knew there couldn't be many vids on control chips in general, let alone on how to get rid of them. Plus, Cerberus' AI would certainly detect any extranet search pings coming out of the Normandy and stop him. Realistically, Rael was his only hope, he just had to figure out how to convince him to change his mind. Then he remembered Rael's daughter and Garrus were quickly becoming an item. Threatening her safety wasn't the nicest way to go about this whole thing but, he was running out of other options. Getting out of Harper's control had to be his top priority by any means necessary.

He turned as if he was going to leave engineering but turned back at the last moment, "What do you think will happen to your daughter if I'm forced to work against you all?"

Legion grabbed his rifle pointing it at him, "Making threats to get your way? Maybe you use the indoctrination as a shield to hide your own actions more than the crew realized."

Saren barked back at him full of anger, "No! I am just bringing the facts to your attention. If the assassin orders me to attack all of you, your daughter will be in the crossfire. I don't want to hurt any of you but, you saw what I did to my own brother."

Rael forcefully lowered the gun taking a fake deep breath, "What exactly are you asking me to do Saren?"

Legion snapped back, "What?! There is a seventy percent chance Saren will turn on us for his own goals. Seventy percent! We would be better off kil-"

Rael tapped a few buttons on his omni tool, "I'm sorry Legion, but I'm going to have to take control for awhile."

Saren watched as the Geth slumped for a few seconds appearing to have powered down. Well that was just perfect, he had pushed the pair to the point they had turned each other off. What was he going to do now without any help? While they were just standing there, Saren had plenty of time to wonder where Legion's seventy percent number was coming from. He had done nothing but help Shepard against the Reapers and had full control of his bodies functions for most of that time. Maybe it was just a predjudice skewing the numbers, or maybe his latest actions proved the thing right. There was no denying a selfish component to wanting the chip removed now and not later.

Just as he was about to leave, Rael came back online, "Sorry about that, I had to issue a hard reset to take better control of Legion."

Saren raised a browplate curiously, "What do you mean take better control of him? I thought both of you relied on the other to function at all."

Rael nodded quickly having a scientist's stereotypical eagerness to him, "Your right but, think of it like a battery. We can briefly take higher priority functions from each other for a short time based on what we deem to be emergencies. Now, do you have a place in mind for getting that thing out of your head?"

Saren was still somewhat nervous and skeptical as he approached the elevator, "Higher priority functions? Does that mean Legion could still potentially smash my brain with your arm or something?"

Rael shook his head quickly, "Not while I'm in control no. All Legion can do right now is access the Normandy's external comms, and I don't think he'd be able to call anyone in particular to stop us. Do you have a place to do this or not?"

Saren agreed that no one was going to care if Legion called them asking for help, they were safe enough in the middle of nowhere to do this. "Yes, Shepard's cabin is private enough. Let's hurry before he gets back."

_o0o_

Tali knew that she shouldn't be walking around after only three days of recovery but, she just couldn't sit in the medbay any longer. Zero was fine enough company when she wasn't ignoring her with her omni tool or sleeping, Tali just needed to move around a little. She felt useless having been forced to sit out two missions in a row now and, Jack had locked her out of the engineering deck until Chakwas cleared her for service. A part of her felt it was unfair for Shepard to be treating her like a child about this whole thing, the other part of her knew she deserved it. Her attempt to hide the pneumonia seemed stupid and silly now that Garrus found out while not dumping her. No, she wasn't angry with Jack, not really, she was just restless.

The past three days had also given her plenty of time to reflect on what happened to Kal all those years ago. Tali was torn on whether to be eternally outraged with the Fleet as a whole or, wanting to help Kal see where Gerrel had been coming from. Yes, using an infant for those kinds of experiments was truly despicable but, came from a place of love. Kal had been able to enjoy so many things that she couldn't just because he could take off his suit freely. He fought without having to worry about the slightest scratch being a death blow, he could take an actual shower instead of a suit's artificial one whenever he wished, and he could make love to his cyar'ika as much as he wanted. It was hard not to have envy for Kal's position. Ultimately, she remembered Han'Gerrel wasn't like her father, he was a power hungry murderer...that she could've gotten rid of.

Fortunately, Tali could hear laughing from the cockpit to pull her out of that endless conversation loop with herself. Joker for once was looking away from the cockpit and chatting with Kasumi. The both of them were rather private so to see them up here together was different. She just assumed that since the majority of what she considered to be the crew was away, they felt more comfortable talking to each other. Hopefully the two didn't assume they had actual privacy up here. The combination of all the nameless support staff and EDI's listening devices guaranteed everything they said eventually got back to The Illusive Man's ears. They appeared to be oblivious to that fact and were sharing a bag of popcorn, while EDI was presumedly working on installing the IFF.

Kasumi looked up at her with a smile, "Hey Tali, glad to see my dare didn't cause any permanent damage. How are you feeling?"

Joker blinked glancing in her direction as well, "Wait, you actually kissed Garrus on a dare? I thought Kasumi was teasing me about you two, 'ripping each others clothes off.'"

Tali glared at her as best she could through the helmet, "I wouldn't say that much but...we may have kissed once or twice."

Kasumi mock whispered before she went on, "There was totally tongue no matter what she says."

Tali tapped her foot more embarrassed then frustrated, "Ahem.. Anyways, what are you two doing up here besides gossiping about me."

Joker grinned happily munching on the popcorn, "Oh, just gossiping about Kal on the original Normandy. You know, like how him and Jack kept pretending they hardly knew each other for that first stretch but, you could totally tell they were a thing? Just that."

EDI cut in the immediate silence, "And I have been trying to tell Mr. Moreau that something is wrong with the IFF and our comm systems. He isn't listening to me."

Joker rolled his eyes sounding annoyed, "Mom, we have to keep the comms online in case the Commander runs into any trouble. Besides, I’m telling you, your readings are off. It’s radiation bleed from traveling in FTL for too long, just white noise."

EDI was surprisingly just as irritated with him apparently, "I am not your mother Jeff, no matter what fantasies you may have. Furthermore, I have now detected a signal embedded in the static. We are transmitting the Normandy’s location."

Tali frowned knowing that didn't make any sense, Zero was the only one using an omni tool right now, "Transmitting? Run a diagnostic as to who we are communicating with EDI."

The command would prove to be pointless when the three of them heard the signature wooshing sound of something exiting FTL. Tali's gut sank when she saw that something was the Collector dreadnought from before. Her fear not only came from the fact that it was here to attack them but, also from the fact that it looked as good as new. None of the hull breaches from Zero's attack on Horizon, or the ones from the Turian ship were present meaning it had repaired itself awfully quickly. She also should've been concerned with the fact that this found them from a transmission inside the ship but, Tali assumed it was merely the IFF. Not even the Cerberus crew would've been stupid enough to actually call this down on themselves and none of the actual crew left had any reason to side with the Collectors.

Joker tensed spinning his chair back to the controls quickly, "Oh, shit. We’re getting out of here!"

EDI took a few seconds to answer, "Propulsion systems are disabled. I’m detecting a virus in the ship’s computers. Primary defense systems are offline. However, we can all save the Normandy, but you must help me. Give me the ship. Unlock my sealed databases, and I can initiate countermeasures. The maintenance shaft in the science lab will allow passage to the AI core."

Even if she was telling the truth, Tali was hesitant to free an AI under any circumstances, "Why don't you contact Legion EDI? He should be able to perform any task that you can faster."

Kasumi glared at her, "Is now really the time to argue which scary AI can get the job done faster?"

She held up a hand to silence her objection, "EDI?"

EDI responded after a moment, "I am unable to find Legion or Saren anywhere on the ship. Since all the escape pods are still locked, I can only conclude they are in Shepard's cabin for whatever reason. The Collectors have also locked down the elevators meaning they are trapped inside. I am the only AI available to defeat the virus in time."

Tali knew she was telling the truth, for all her own programming skills, she was no match for a Reaper virus. On the other hand, freeing an AI of any kind from set controls went against everything Tali believed in. This kind of ends justified the means mentality was exactly the kind of philosophy that brought about the Morning War with the Geth. EDI was technically only one unit but, Tali couldn't even begin to imagine the kind of damage she could cause with the Normandy. Did they really have time to go free EDI anyway? Surely the Collector ship was going to start firing on them at any moment. Tali's fear grew when instead of the yellow light from it's main weapon, she saw a swarm of shuttles coming at them. They weren't going to blast them out of the sky, they wanted to take all of them for their organic material.

Kasumi helped Joker out of his chair quickly, "Come on, I don't want to be Collector food and this is our only option."

Tali made up her mind moving to Joker's other side, "Agreed. We're going to get through this... We're going to make it." 

Joker glared at her while limping forward, "Could you quit saying that? Your making me extremely nervous that we aren't going to make it."

A member of the small security team rushed by them to get to the airlock, "You three get to the escape pods, we'll cover you!" 

Tali guided Joker to the science lab door with a huff, Keelah he was heavy for a sick person to drag along with them. "Sorry, I'm just trying to have some positive reinforcement."

Her heart was pounding extremely fast as Kasumi helped Joker into the shaft. At any moment the Collectors could burst through the airlock door and Tali knew from experience all hell would break loose. The small security team would be no match for the actual Collector forces. She guessed they would be picked off by the seeker swarms since Mordin couldn't make jammer hardware for everyone. An explosion made her heart sink just as Joker slid down the shaft, they were here. She saw the security team desperately shooting at the seekers only to be paralyzed one by one, Veetor's paranoia was suddenly very understandable. Kasumi moved down the shaft considerably faster which Tali was grateful for. Just as she grabbed the ladder rungs to go down, one of the Collector trooper's acid blasts flung above her head. Tali recoiled grabbing the hatch to the shaft and swung it over her head.

She landed with a thump back in the medbay. Other than more of the Cerberus security team guarding the elevator, this floor seemed relatively peaceful. Had the rest of the crew not heard the explosion? How many people weren't even aware they were under attack right now? This was the worst possible scenario since the Normandy was a stealth ship. No one could ever imagine they were the ones to be ambush. Her eyes spotted Zero still in bed and a new problem popped into her head. The girl still couldn't walk and wasn't wearing a seeker jammer, she was more vulnerable than any of the rest of them right now. 

Zero's face showed she understood the same problem, "Go, I'll cover you from whatever's coming."

Tali shook her head leaving Kasumi to drag Joker to the AI core, "Not a chance, Kal would kill me if I just left you in here alone."

She started unhooking Zero from her medical equipment only for EDI's orb to appear next to her, "Tali, the Collectors are already using the elevator to come down here. You do not have enough time statistically to save Subject Zero. I can only protect you in my core room if you hurry."

Tali grunted just tearing the IV apart, "Then do whatever you can to slow down the elevator. I'm not leaving Zero behind."

The elevator door exploded creating a similar story as to what happened upstairs, except this time windows were exposing them. When she heard the twang of the acid weapons firing, Tali jumped on top of Zero as a last ditch effort to protect her forgetting the girl had biotics. Realizing her spine wasn't burning with the acid, Tali turned her head back to see the window had been replaced with biotic energy. She took the few seconds that must've given them to try and carry Zero forward as Kasumi just now got Joker through the door. Unfortunately, since she was still sick, Tali didn't have the strength to carry her more than a foot before they both fell over. Her head hit the ground with a ringing and she saw the biotic shield disappear.

Zero glared seriously at her, "We don't have time to argue now, go!"

Tali tried to recover from the hit as fast as she could to weakly drag Zero along with her, "No! Errrggghhh... We're making it out of this."

Zero was glowing a bright hot blue, "Tell Kal he was the best dad I could ever ask for."

Without asking, Zero launched Tali forward into the AI core before starting to use her biotics as a weapon. Tali stood up as quickly as she could to go back after her but, Kasumi had already shut the door trapping them in here. Her first instinct was to punch Kasumi and try to get back out there but, she was thinking about the bigger picture. If they all died or were captured, Shepard would lose the Normandy forever before being able to attack the Collector base. She had to let Zero get captured now so they had the opportunity to maybe rescue her later. They had no idea how long the Collectors kept their victims alive, if they could attack fast enough maybe they could save her.

Joker looked up at the ceiling, "All right, we're at, uh, you.... What now?"

EDI replied as if nothing just happened, "Connect the core to the Normandy’s primary control module." After Kasumi followed the request she continued, "I have access to the defensive systems. Thank you. Activating the drive and opening the airlocks as we accelerate. All hostiles will be killed."

Tali frowned starting to pace around the room, "What about the rest of the crew?"

EDI was monotone, "Other than Rael and Saren, they are all gone. The Collectors took or murdered them."

Kasumi just stared at the floor, "Shit....."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few seconds until EDI announced, "Purge is complete. No other life forms on board. Securing airlocks and cargo bay doors."

Joker was just as depressed as the rest of them, "Send a message to the Red Rose or whatever it is..... Tell them what happened."

EDI quickly answered, "Message away. Are you all feeling well?"

Joker just shook his head, "No. But thanks for asking."


	63. Chapter 62: A Krogan's Wrath

Jack had never experienced being at the receiving end of a Krogan's charge, even during the Blitz, Kal had taken the honor of that job because of his speed. Today though, they didn't have that luxury since multiple Krogan were running through the hole they just created intent on killing everyone. With his ears still ringing from the explosives, Jack struggled to roll out of the way of the Krogan coming at him. He was just a second too slow and the 8' tall behemoth was able to grab his arms and toss him into one of the stone pillars supporting the building. The Krogan was on top of him a moment later pinning him to the wall. Mordin was far more lucky, getting up to his feet faster and throwing a cryo grenade down in front of the other five Krogan coming into the room. They slipped along the ice making for a comical sight if the situation wasn't so serious.

Mordin took the opportunity to take cover behind another pillar and was shooting around it. At first, Jack just assumed he had wildly bad aim because of the combination of the fall and the explosion since he was missing all of the Krogan on their back. Then, he realized Mordin was shooting at the ceiling hole they fell through trying to kill the mysterious Turian who shot Maelon between the eyes. While Jack felt like they had much bigger problems right now with the Krogan literally breathing down their necks, he understood the anger. Maelon had been one of Mordin's top students judging by their conversation. So, even though he had seemingly lost his way from what Mordin preached, the doctor would've wanted to teach him why he was wrong, not kill him. The Turian avoided the shots but, still lingered at the hole watching this play out.

The main Krogan held Jack to the pillar with one large hand while pointing a claymore shotgun barrel to his chin with the other, "Surrender Human, I might just let you live that way."

Jack was pushing his own assault rifle into the Krogan's stomach, "I could say the same thing to you. I want to talk to whoever's in charge."

The Krogan with orange hide and a dark blue crest laughed, "Good thing for you then that I'm in charge now. Talk, why are you here?"

Another familiar Krogan voice came booming from the door, "You can keep dreaming about being in charge Wreav but that doesn't make it so. The Human wanted to talk with who's actually the leader. Go check on the Salarian, he looks hurt."

Wreav growled in his face before kneeing him in the gut and marching towards Maelon's body. Jack was trying to come up with a story for Maelon's death that wouldn't get him killed in the next few seconds only to see Wrex staring at him. The Krogan looked no different from the day he last saw him on the beach of Virmire except he was surrounded by other Krogan. He didn't seem like the type to want to be leader of a Krogan clan but, he probably didn't have a choice when he brought the cure for the Genophage back to Tuchanka. A cure that Jack helped ensure would now never see the true light of day unfortunately. Jack wondered how many Krogan children could've been born in the short time between Virmire and Mordin's modifications. No matter what happened, Mordin had to make it out of here, the Collectors still had to be dealt with.

Wrex marched towards him with his own shotgun in hand, "I always said you'd make a fine Krogan Shepard. Surviving getting launched into space only proves me right. What are you doing here?"

Before he could answer, Wreav snarled, "Killing our Doctor apparently. The one you promised would fix your cure!"

Wrex surprised him by giving him an expression of hurt and betrayal, "Why would you do that Shepard? We have absolutely NOTHING to do with your Reapers! NOTHING!"

Jack kept his gun low thinking that they could maybe talk about this, "I can explain everything to you if you just let me-"

A biotic blast through the pillar he was pinned to cut him off, "We were having children again for six months! SIX MONTHS! And did we take advantage of you? Did we declare war on you? Have we done anything but try to survive?! NO! The Salarian was just fixing a wrong."

Jack stumbled to his feet only to get blasted with the shotgun. Thank God for palladium armor but, it wasn't going to be able to take too many direct hits like that. He let the momentum of the hit knock him through another wall so he could use a corner for cover, maybe try and copy what Kal did with the other Krogan earlier. When they landed on Tuchanka he had hoped that his team could've avoided Wrex and just save Maelon, too bad that wasn't an option anymore. Wrex had been an important part of his crew, without him they wouldn't have found Liara in time. It was clear now though that only one of them was getting out of here.

The Krogan yelled from the other side of the wall, "Your not even going to say anything?! You are a COWARD just like the rest of the Citadel population."

He was about to say something when a Krogan leg started coming through the hole he was hiding behind. Jack kicked his foot forward to take out Wrex's knee and rolled around the corner expecting him to fall so he could shoot him in the head. However, it was another Krogan that had actual armor on his knees so the kick did nothing. Since the Krogan didn't fall down his assault rifle went off at around the heavily armored waist. The Krogan laughed before grabbing the barrel of the rifle and used his grip to throw Jack back into Maelon's lab. Jack lost his own grip and landed at Wrex's feet. He was in trouble surrounded by five angry Krogan all blaming him for their inability to have children anymore. Mordin wasn't doing any better being held above Wreav's head, it looked like he was going to break the Salarian in half.

Kal's voice was in his ear, "Close your eyes in three...two....one."

The Quarian was sliding across the ice Mordin created earlier with a flashbang in one hand and a dagger in the other. Jack curled up into a ball pretending to try and shield himself from Wrex's foot as the flashbang went off above his head. As soon as the flash exploded, Jack saw Kal was continuing his slide between Wrex's legs only to slice up one of the Krogan's exposed ankles with his dagger. He rolled out from his slide and grabbed Jack's rifle to pass it back to him. Jack immediately started firing at Wreav's arms so he would drop Mordin while presumably Garrus was sniping the other Krogan around him. Wreav howled but, instead of just dropping Mordin, he hurled the Salarian at him and charged. Mordin toppled them both to the ground along the ice, luckily, Kal was still standing to spin around the charge only to stab him across the gut. He seemingly ended the fight by placing his pistol to the back of Wreav's head.

Wrex was breathing heavily on one knee staring at them, "I forgot...your boyfriend...had a quad Shepard."

Jack helped Mordin to his feet with a frown looking back to the Krogan, "It's over Wrex..I'm sorry I can't help your people right now but, I have bigger problems."

Wrex chuckled dangerously low, "It's always the same with you types. We'll wait and see or, it's not convenient for you to want to have kids right now. I am SICK of waiting."

Mordin had a smug tone as he dusted off his lab coat while getting up, "This kind of behavior exactly why we deployed Genophage. Instead of talk, immediately jump to murder."

Jack glared at him, "Now isn't the time, get back to the ship." He kneeled down in front of Wrex, "I truly am sorry for what's happening to your people but, your going to let us go now. When the galaxy is safe, I promise I'll do everything in my power to help you."

Wrex clearly wasn't backing down, getting in his face, "And what happens if I say no?"

Kal clicked off the safety for dramatic purposes, "I'll have to blow your friends head off."

Wrex just laughed at him, "Go ahead, you'd be doing me a favor. My brother has been a pain in my ass for years."

Wreav glared back in his direction, "I kept this clan together while you were doing whatever a mercenary does. Don't throw me out like the trash."

Wrex rolled his eyes sarcastically giving Jack an almost playful expression, "See what I mean?"

Jack was about to shoot him when Wrex used his crest as a battering ram to knock him backwards. At the same time, he used his biotics to try and hurl Kal out the window into Tuchanka's night sky. If this had been two years ago, Jack would've just grabbed him with his own biotics and they wouldn't have a problem. The bad news was this was now and he didn't have biotics. He jumped at Wrex to break his concentration hoping it would be enough to stop Kal from having to fall a few thousand feet. The sound of shattering glass was easily recognizable but, so to was another biotic warp. To his surprise, Kai Leng had caught Kal with the biotics in his sword and brought him safely to the ground. His confusion had to be all over his face, once again the assassin had the opportunity to kill one of them and instead saved his life? Wrex took the moment of distraction to kick him across the room.

Miranda used her own biotics to stop him from getting impaled by a piece of metal, "Glad everything is under control."

Jack rolled his neck around and grabbed his rifle, "It is now, we need to get out of here."

He watched as Leng actually helped Kal back to his feet, "I see you and Shepard have the same definition of under control."

Wrex used his shotgun as a walking stick, "I'm not letting you leave Shepard! Your going to PAY for what you've done to the Krogan!"

Leng tapped his sword off of the floor, "I'll handle him, meet you back on the Red Rose. The two Drell were taking the Salarian so they'll be waiting."

With his back turned, Jack considered shooting him in the spine. Even though he had been professional since landing on the Normandy, Jack could feel it was just an act. He hadn't suddenly developed a change of heart or turned over a new leaf. It was obvious to him at least that Leng was just playing the part of 'loyal' operative just long enough to get whatever he wanted. As his finger was just starting to squeeze the trigger, Leng's sword energized with a red glow and he ducked under one of Wreav's messy punches. While he was moving his body downwards at a ninety degree angle, the tip of his sword casually flicked across his neck. The crackling eezo slit Wreav's throat like butter by the time Leng was back to his feet. Jack had to admit that when he wasn't full of hatred and rage, Leng was a skilled fighter.

Miranda grabbed both his and Kal's aimed weapons before whispering, "The longer we try and fight the higher the chance that more Krogan wake up and stop us. If we leave right now there's a chance we can leave him behind."

Jack looked to Kal who was clearly struggling with the decision, "She's right, we can't risk getting trapped here."

He felt a chill run down his spine when a boney Turian finger tapped his shoulder, "Your not going anywhere Shepard, because your all under arrest for starting a war with the Terminus Systems."

Jack was about to swing around for a punch only to see a dozen more Turians deploy out of stealth similar to Kasumi. He had forgotten about the Turian lurking in the upper hole because of his fight with Wrex and Wreav. His mind was racing trying to figure out a way to get out of this but wasn't coming up with anything. They could fight this out if he knew how many Turians were here, as it stood fighting was suicide. The combination of the Krogan and Turian forces practically guaranteed someone would get hurt in the crossfire, he didn't need that right before attacking the Collectors. Jack felt the best chance to get out of this involved convincing the Turian crew to let them go to deal with the Collectors. This was probably the luckiest day the Turian was ever going to have in his military career, not only had he stopped a Salarian from curing the Genophage, he also was going to capture Jack.

Wrex caught Leng with his biotics only to yank him into a closeline on the ground, "I deal with you in a moment Turian, I have to kill the pyjak who just murdered my brother."

Leng let the momentum of the closeline spin his body three hundred and sixty degrees to land back on his feet, "We're not done yet Krogan. But, how about we kill them together?"

Wrex gave him a feral grin, "Don't expect me to carry all the weight...Human."

The Turian sighed and grabbed his radio on his armor, "Contain these idiots please."

Leng and Wrex started charging at them from the other end of the room with the Krogan having a serious limp. Jack would've pulled the main Turian out of the way knowing he was Leng's target for whatever reason but, the man stood perfectly still as the charge was coming at him. Biotic whips shot from the rafters wrapping around the limbs of both men. He realized that the Turian had been so quiet during the battle because he was setting up his squad for a takedown. They were most likely here on an assassination mission to kill Maelon only for Jack Shepard to land in his lap. It was impressive they were able to adapt so quickly to changing mission perameters. Once again, Jack was tempted to push past the Turian in front of him to shoot at a tied up Leng only to think better of it. The Turians were more likely to listen to what he had to say about the Collectors if he wasn't grabbing his gun to kill another prisoner.

Kal leaned in to whisper, "I hope you have a plan because I can't think of one that doesn't get us killed or locked up."

Jack gave him a cocky smirk whispering back, "Well, hopefully we can talk our way out of this. Otherwise, your going to have an orange jump suit as a new fashion choice."

The Turian tapped his radio again, "Take the Human and let's get out of here."

Wrex roared trying to free himself from the ropes, "Those are my prisoners you asshole! They killed one of my people!"

The Turian got very close to Wrex since he was tied up, "You aren't going to tell anyone that we were here. You wanna know why?"

Wrex spat on the black and red armor, "Why?"

The Turian was painfully smug as Leng's whips pulled him towards the ceiling where another Turian was waiting, "Because if you do, we have proof you were trying to find a cure for the Genophage which goes against the Tuchanka Accords. Meaning we could bomb your planet back to the stone age and there wouldn't be a damn thing you could do about it."

Wrex snarled literally trying to bite his armor, "This isn't over. All of you are going to pay for this!"

The Turian did a circling motion with his hand, "Come on let's go, we're already late enough on the meet up as it is."

Another Turian approached Jack with handcuffs, "Put these on and we won't have any trouble."

Kal looked to him questioningly so he bowed his head, "We don't want to cause you any harm. My crew will cooperate until we can discuss this in a private setting."

Jack couldn't help but look around him and notice Garrus wasn't captured like the rest of them. It wasn't perfect but, he knew Saren, Garrus, Kasumi, Tali, Zero, Rael, and Legion could take down the Collectors. That was the worst case scenario though, especially since the Reapers were still out there gathering strength for a strike. The only person with enough credible information on the Reaper's existence was Saren and The Illusive Man but, due to their reputations it was a poisoned well. His one hope to stay in the fight with the Reapers was to convince the Turian in charge they were real. That had gone so well for him all the other times he thought sarcastically to himself. However, if he would be allowed to communicate with the Normandy, he could order EDI to transfer all the data she grabbed from Sovereign and the Collector dreadnought.

His hopes faded when he saw another Turian dragging Garrus towards the group of them, "Sir, we found another Turian sniper in the rafters... He requested to speak with you personally sir."

The lead Turian stared at Garrus, "Are you going to try and beg for forgiveness because you joined a terrorist? The Ninth Platoon doesn't care about any excuses a random mercenary might have for picking the wrong side."

Garrus gave Jack a worried glance before taking a deep breath, "I'm not just some random mercenary, my name is Garrus Vakarian, son of Castis Vakarian and hero of the Citadel. I'm requesting me and my companions have an audience with your commanding officer before you turn us over to the Alliance."

The leader bit on his lower lip with a glare, "That is your right and I have to accept, but I'm not letting anyone out of restraints."

Garrus gave a fake smile to the man, "Can't blame a guy for trying, right Mr..?"

The Turian's expression didn't change obviously holding some hostility towards Garrus, "Sergeant Victus to you, don't expect any special treatment just because you have a powerful father. Put them in the hold for transport."

As they were getting pushed towards the elevator back to the roof, Jack gazed at Garrus briefly, "Why didn't you leave while you had the chance? The Collectors are more important than I am."

Garrus looked gravely back in his direction, "Because you didn't leave me behind on Omega, you didn't leave my....family...behind either even though you had every right to do so. I owe you, even if that means getting locked up with my best friend in the entire galaxy."

Jack grinned trying to reassure him that everything was going to be alright, "Like I told Kal, we're just going to have to learn to wear orange."

The trip to wherever they were getting taken to was surprisingly long Jack decided. How far had this recon team ventured away from their ship to get to Tuchanka? Why had they even stopped there at all if they were a days Kodiak ride away from their ship? Was Maelon's research truly important enough to make this massive of a detour? Unfortunately, they didn't even know how much longer they had to wait because none of the Turians spoke to them. Garrus explained that they probably weren't physically allowed to until they honored his earlier request. Jack tried to sneak in a call to the Normandy to tell them to go through the Omega-4 Relay without them but, all the comms to the ship were down. After twenty four hours and no change, Jack was starting to grow concerned something happened while he was gone. At the very least, EDI would've answered him if everything was ok, she was always listening.

Jack was stroking Kal's helmeted head in his lap when Sergeant Victus emerged from the cockpit finally, "We're here, I'm going to take you to my commander who's going to throw you to the Varren soon enough."

Kal sat up, "I've actually known some very nice Varren in my time so that might be a good thing."

Victus sneered down at him, "Oh let me assure you, your not dealing with a nice Varren pup."

The ship jolted causing the pilot to say, "Docking clamps deployed, we're home boys."

Judging by the time it took to get to the bridge of the Turian ship, Jack guessed this was a dreadnought. On the one hand, that meant there would be hunteds of Kodiaks and other small ships they could potentially escape on if things go south. On the other hand though, the size of the ship made it impossible to not have to wander for hours to find one of those ships all the while having to avoid capture. The bridge was very similar to the Normandy's CIC since it probably featured the same architects except it was a lot more crowded then the Normandy. If Jack didn't know any better, he would've assumed the Turians were actually helping in the war against the Terminus. Everyone here was on high alert and seemingly ignoring the prisoners arrival, except for the Captain.

Because of their carapace, it was often hard to tell a Turian's age but, Jack started to understand the differences having been around multiple Turians of varying ages. The leathery hide of older Turians was usually more prevelant than younger people practically growing over the plates in a few places. Older Turians eyes were also less sharp and piercing and more watery. This particular Turian Captain had all of these features across his tan carapace. Jack recognized him from the picture he saw on the Red Rose with his mother's team. If this Turian was a part of that mission there was a chance he knew who his father was. If the circumstances were more pleasant, he might've asked out of curiosity.

Victus saluted him, "Sir, the prisoners from Tuchanka requested to speak with you."

Before any of them could say anything, the Captain stared back at him, "What is the meaning of this son...?"

Jack was struck by the sad, serious tone in the Captain's voice and clearly so was Victus, "Sir? I discovered Jack Shepard, Kal'Reegar vas Nedas, Kai Leng, AND Miranda Lawson among others on Tuchanka."

He was once again caught off guard by the Captain's sigh, "I can see that just fine son, I'm not that old yet. I want you to repeat those last two words back to me."

Victus blinked confused, "....On Tuchanka...?"

Miranda caught on before anyone else, "The Council didn't actually authorize you to go into the Krogan DMZ with a Turian warship did they? You came here just to kill Maelon anonymously and now we prove you were there."

The older Victus sat down with a slump, "You have a smarter crew than I do Commander. Adrian Victus, I wish we were meeting in happier times."

Sergeant Victus jumped in, "So they say we were in the Krogan DMZ, they're terrorists dad. No one is going to believe them."

Miranda cut back in, "As part of any trial we'd all be able to request this ships flight plans into the DMZ. The Krogan would have legitimate justification to declare war. We'd all go down together."

Jack took the opportunity to say, "Adrian, I know you don't know me and the stories have been less than kind but, believe me when I tell you I don't want to start another war. I need the galaxy safe for when the Reapers arrive. If you just let me go we can all forget this happened and I can save the galaxy."

Adrian slowly smiled at him, "You remind me of your mother with her endless optimism. She believed she could turn around galactic racism.... Do you have any proof these Reapers exist?"

His son stomped towards him, "Are you serious right now? These people are terrorists dad! Lawson destroyed a Quarian liveship, Leng has killed who knows how many of our diplomats, and Shepard literally started a war. We have to turn them in no matter what the cost to us!"

Adrian held up a hand, "Quit lecturing me on things I am already aware of Tarquin. I asked if they had proof."

Jack thanked the spirits he actually went on Sovereign and the Collector dreadnought, "If you allow me to get into communications range of my ship I can order my crew to forward you the data I've obtained during my investigation."

Adrian seemed to grimace, "I'm afraid we've already grabbed the damaged Normandy in one of our patrols while chasing a ship who killed some of my men. It's in the cargo hold now. Give me the evidence you have and I'll think about letting you go."

Kal almost shouted what he was thinking, "Damaged? What happened to it? Is the crew alright?"

Adrian shrugged rubbing his forehead, "The Quarian engineer has been extraordinarily proficient at keeping us out. All I can tell you is the stealth drive appears to have been destroyed from a partially exposed FTL jump. Hopefully your data survived."

Tarquin grabbed Adrian's arm rests, "If we don't turn them over right now, young Turian men and women have to fight in the Alliance's pointless war with the Terminus. I thought you taught me to avoid death whenever you could. This is our last chance!"

Adrian raised his voice despite being in a room full of other crew, "I will not ignore a threat to galactic safety if there's evidence! Go with Shepard to the Normandy and bring whatever data they have back to me. That is an order soldier."

Jack knew he should be focused on getting everything they had on the Reapers together but, he was terrified. What happened to the Normandy to damage the stealth drive? Was anyone hurt? Had anyone died? He had to find out now.


	64. Chapter 63: The Choices We Make

Jack knew something was wrong the moment he saw the Normandy in the Turian ships cargo hold. The airlock was blown open from the outside and he doubted the Turians would try to blow their way in once they knew he wasn't onboard. That didn't answer the question of what actually happened though. Why was the stealth drive damaged, and more importantly, how did the Collectors find them again if it was active? Cerberus had assured him that this version of the Normandy was better than the original and wouldn't suffer the same fate. Obviously, that wasn't true, The Illusive Man would have a lot to answer for if they got out of this mess. His first priority though had to be making sure the crew was alright and Victus got the evidence he wanted.

Approaching the inner door, Jack could see someone had put up electrified crates from the cargo hold as a way to create a barrier. How much time did they have to work on this before the Turian ship picked them up? Was there a way to get around it, or, was he going to have to find another way to break into his own ship? Jack was glad the crew didn't plan on giving up the ship so easily but, they were technically in friendly territory. Had whatever was left of the Cerberus ctew mandated this security or was it the others as a precaution? To be fair, they did have two illegal AI's on the ship as well as a formerly dead SPECTRE running around. If they had any other option but cooperate, he probably would've taken it. Even if he managed to convince Victus to let him go to attack the Collectors that didn't guarantee the Turian wouldn't take them into custody after they were done.

Miranda spoke loudly so that anyone inside the ship on the other side of the crates would hopefully hear them, "Whoever's guarding the door right now needs to move out of the way, I'm going to warp these so we can come in."

Out of nowhere, the crates disappeared revealing Tali on the other side, "That won't be necessary, I just used some of Legion's old hologram software to trick these bosh'tets."

Tarquin shook his head out of frustration, "Why didn't I have one of my men test that first...? Damnit, I'm an idiot."

Garrus' mandibles twitched with a shrug, "You say idiot, but I say it makes you a good leader for not potentially sacrificing one of your people."

Jack stepped towards her putting his hand on her shoulder, "Are you ok? What happened?"

Tali sighed giving him a little hug before glancing between them all, "It's better you see it...without our new hosts..." She added glaring in Victus' direction, "I wouldn't want him to get more charges for all of us."

Jack gave a subtle bow of his head understanding the AI were probably involved with what happened, "EDI, transfer all data Cerberus has on the Reapers and Collectors to Sergeant Victus." He then looked at the Turian, "And then get the hell off my ship to give that data to your father."

EDI answered ignoring the hostile atmosphere in the room, "Acknowledged Shepard, sending data now."

Victus gave him a Turian version of a sneer, "Oh don't worry, I'll move as fast as possible. So we can get past this charade and I can throw you all in the brig until we reach Earth."

Once he left, Tali gave Kal another hug, "Come on, I didn't know what to do by myself and...shit. Kal...I did everything I could."

Mordin moved past the rest of them, "Need to make sure lab is intact. Will be there if needed."

Garrus rolled his eyes calling after him, "Your welcome by the way." He sighed, "We're all in this because of him you know."

Miranda started glancing around the room, "I think we have plenty of things to worry about besides Mordin right now."

As soon as she moved out of the way and started leading them through the CIC, Jack felt his legs go weak. The empty halls of the ship made him aware of exactly what happened here, the Collectors attacked them. It didn't seem possible but, all the pieces fit, if there had been a large battle there would be bodies everywhere. The scene was exactly like Freedom's Progress and Horizon with work half done and food still laying on plates. He was supposed to protect these people and he failed. This was the last straw for some reason, no matter what The Illusive Man would promise or say, he couldn't believe a word of it. His words about the stealth drive appeared to be a lie that made everyone too complacent to prepare for the worst.

Feron frowned examining the scene, "I'm tired of seeing everywhere I look get turned into a graveyard."

Kal's voice was already breaking up knowing the answer to his question before he asked, "Zero.....?"

Tali couldn't look at him tapping the elevator instead, "She said you were the best father she could have ever asked for..before throwing me to safety..."

Kal turned around and kicked a chair with an angry sob, "God fucking damnit!"

Hearing the raw heartbreak in Kal's voice was almost worse than knowing the truth. It had only been a few months but, Zero had made an instant albeit reluctant connection with Kal and had just started warming up to him as well. This was his fault and he knew it, not only for trusting Cerberus but, for keeping her here. When she had been injured he had the perfect opportunity to send her some place relatively safe. At least safer than the warship, yet he had let her decide what she wanted to do. While it was probably the first time anyone in her life actually listened to what she wanted, the result was getting her killed. He put a hand on Kal's spine to try and calm him down and thankfully he leaned into it. Jack had been worried Kal would blame him for what happened but, his reaction to the touch made it clear that wasn't the case.

EDI's orb appeared next to them on the wall, "Not all is lost for Subject Zero. The files I have recovered from the Collector dreadnought seem to indicate they keep victims alive for a few days. Even though twenty seven hours have passed since the abduction, Zero's biotic ability will most likely grant her more time for experimentation."

Kal seemed to stiffen up determined, "Then we need to come up with a plan to get her out of there as soon as possible."

Jack's mind was racing from what EDI had just told them. He had always felt like they had been on a clock to prevent the Collectors from taking any more colonies but, there were weeks and months to accomplish that. Now, the fate of his lost crew hinged on just a few hours. If he had full control of the Normandy, they would be leaving right now to save them regardless of the stealth drive. However, right now they were trapped inside the cargo hold of a Tutian ship intent on throwing them back to Earth. Personally, he doubted Victus would release them fast enough to save the others but, he couldn't tell Kal that. His husband needed to have the hope that they would get Zero out of there.

He pressed his forehead to Kal's helmet and whispered, "We're gonna get her out of there." Jack pulled away to ask, "EDI, how long do you think we have to save everyone?"

EDI replied, "If the Collectors are working on the same time table as described in the files, sixteen hours."

Leng kneeled down picking up a dead seeker drone, presumably scanning it with his fake eyes, before putting it in his pocket. "The crew should've been more prepared for this. You can't expect to hit a hornets nest three separate times in a row and not expect to get stung back."

Kal snapped moving to get in his face, "We didn't think we had to prepare because the stealth drive YOUR people designed failed! We were trapped in a vulnerable tin can and didn't even know it!"

Leng put his hands behind his back with a smirk, "Maybe your right, maybe your wrong, I don't know. The real question is what are you going to do about it?"

He was about to stop Kal from punching him which the assassin clearly wanted when Tali said loudly, "It wasn't the stealth drive! That got damaged after we had to make our get away. A member of the crew used the IFF as a ping to get the Collectors to show."

The revelation was like a glass of cold water splashed on his face. One of the people he left on the ship contacted the Collectors to kill them. It made no sense at all, why would someone actively doom themselves to death like that? Surely everyone on the Cerberus part of the crew knew what they were capable of to the point that they'd know the call was suicide. That only implied it was a member of the team he picked to be here which also made no sense. None of the members he left behind to go to Tuchanka had any reason to call the Collectors. Even the most likely candidate literally had a control unit in his head to stop himself from thinking about doing that. What happened here?

Leng chuckled as the group went down the elevator to the medbay, "It's a wonder to me you've actually gotten this far Shepard. At this point your crew is trying to kill each other rather than be under your command."

Feron countered quickly looking at Tali, "I'd imagine trying to ping anything off of a Reaper IFF would require more skill then an average crew member yes?"

Tali surprisingly wouldn't look at him either, "The Reaper code is extraordinarily complex yes, you'd need very fast processing power to pull it off."

Kal glared in Miranda's and Leng's direction, "Meaning your AI stabbed us in the back."

Tali pushed a button to open the medbay door, "No, I don't like Cerberus just as much as you but, EDI is the only thing that kept us alive."

When the door opened, Jack was hit with a few surprises all at once. First, the only people inside were Saren, Kasumi, Joker, and Legion. These four plus Tali were the only crew members left alive. He didn't know what he was expecting when every other Collector attack he had been apart of left no prisoners but, he assumed a few lucky crew members would have locked themselves in a hold somewhere. It wasn't as though he got to know any of the Cerberus support staff but, he seriously doubted any of them deserved the fate set upon them. Jack was also going to miss someone like Chakwas, she had taken care of the crew through everything without a complaint. Second, Kasumi was holding her pistol to Legion while Saren had a bandage around his head. He was starting to get a very sick picture of what happened while he was gone.

Miranda folded her arms looking around the room, "Everyone? You lost everyone, and damn near lost the ship, too? Jesus Christ...."

Joker had a sarcastic tone, "What did you expect? The halls were empty because we had a surprise party planned? Surprise! Everyone's dead."

Miranda shot back, "I expected more than the three stooges to be left alive. We had protocols for this sort of scenario, why weren't they followed?"

EDI spoke up for him, "By the time I was aware something was happening, the Collectors locked down the ship. None of the escape pods or elevators were functional onboard. To use a Human phrase, the crew were like fish in a barrel."

Miranda glared at Joker again, "Were the sensors somehow not picking up the massive dreadnought trying to sneak up behind you?"

Tali's voice had some irritation to it, "It’s not his fault, Miranda. None of us caught it."

EDI continued on laying out the facts of how they were found, "Tali is correct. The harmful data in the Collector drive was even more sophisticated than the 'black box' Reaper viruses I was given. However, the original call to the Collectors came from inside the Normandy's Captains cabin. This was sabotage."

Kasumi motioned to her pistol pointing at Legion, "When the dust settled, this tin can and Saren were the only people that came out. My bet was the Geth, so here we are."

Legion's voice was extremely defensive, "I was not trying to harm anyone, I was protecting all of you!"

Saren rubbed his browplates, "I recruited Rael to remove my control chip and Legion apparently had other ideas."

Rael finished with, "I shut Legion down to the point that he could only use external comms. I underestimated what he would do with them."

Jack looked down to his feet not knowing what was the best way to react right away. Leng's use of Saren with the chip installed showed he needed it removed. He hadn't wanted Saren to be a card that his enemies got to play at a pivotal moment. Going behind everyone's back though to get that done had consequences. It had been his choice to let Saren do this and only now could he see the worst thing that could happen wasn't Saren dying on his new bed sheets. His decision most likely cost him the entire support crew and Zero. If Saren's face was more smug at least there could be the argument that it was worth it to get Saren free. His expression told him that wasn't the case, Saren was still chipped and the loss was for nothing.

Legion seemed to be desperately trying to defend himself in the otherwise silent room, "I was reading a seventy percent chance that if the chip was removed, Saren would turn on the crew. I predicted calling the Collectors to our location would cause the Normandy to go into evasive maneuvers preventing the procedure."

Feron tilted his head as though he was interrogating a suspect, "Did it work?"

Legion shrugged slightly, "Unknown, I was locked out of my optical sensor until after we escaped."

Rael took over interrupting Saren, "Yes it did, the ship was vibrating too much for me to have a steady hand... Commander, I take full responsibility for the loss of the crew."

Miranda ignored the sentiment, "He could be lying."

Leng tilted his head back and forth, "Only one way to find out. Activation code 227: Saren, punch your brother as hard as you can on his burnt mandible."

Saren growled but stood up and marched over to Garrus. In one fluid motion, Saren sent a biotically charged fist across Garrus' mandible sending the Turian down with a yelp. On the surface, everything appeared to be the same, Saren had done what he was told. Jack had been watching him closely though and noticed he hadn't been shaking or resisting the order like every other time he received orders from the chip. He had wanted to punch Garrus meaning it was an act, Rael had removed the chip and they were lying about it now. While Leng's new optical sensors might not be able to catch the inconsistencies, Miranda surely spotted them if he had. Yet, she just gave Jack a 'I hope you know what your doing,' look not saying anything.

The Turian winced shaking his own fist, "I'm sorry about that brother."

Garrus gave him a thumbs up from the ground, "Not your fault."

Tali moved to help him up, "Are you ok?"

Garrus tenderly rubbed his mandible standing up himself, "Yeah, just glad it wasn't anything worse."

Leng chuckled with a smirk, "I think this demonstration was enough proof for now."

Legion just had to speak up, "Good, then the potential crisis has been averted. A few deaths was worth preventing Saren from betraying us later."

He closed his eyes and predictably heard Kal draw his gun, "Say that to me one more time you bosh'tet!"

Legion began again as if nothing had changed, "A few deat-"

Tali moved in front of Kal to get between him and Legion, "NO! Please... I know your angry and scared, that you want someone to blame. But please, don't kill him. He's all I have left.... Please."

Jack watched with a sense of paralysis as Kal's shakey hand pointed his gun at Tali. He knew Kal wasn't specifically aiming for her but to get to Legion behind her. Seeing a Quarian defend a Geth from another Quarian would've been a fascinating sight if he didn't know everyone involved. As it is, Jack didn't know what the immediate response he should have here. Jumping Kal only brought up the risk of him accidentally pulling the trigger, surely he would snap out of this anger. Like it or not, Rael shared that space with Legion meaning they had to keep both alive. Rael was on the cusp of finding a way to defeat the Reapers, Kal had to know that was more important than getting vengeance for Zero. Right?

When he was still holding that shakey hand up to Tali's head after a few seconds, Jack spoke tenderly, "Kal... put down the gun."

Kal's voice was full of venom, "That thing deserves to be in the scrap pile! It killed people! Our people based on nothing but a fucking number algorithm!"

Garrus jumped in with a far more stern tone, "Kal, I don't want to have to do this buddy but I will put you down if your finger goes to that trigger!"

Tali and Jack whipped their heads around and spoke at the same time, "WHAT?!"

Just as he said, Garrus was holding his rifle to his eye and pointing it at Kal. His heart was pounding at a thundering pace watching his crew tear each other apart from the inside. None of these three hated each other, they were just defending what was the most important thing to them and it was blinding everyone's judgement. It was tempting to follow suit and continue to escalate to protect Kal but, that would only lead to blood. Jack needed everyone to cool off and see the bigger picture here. This was what the Collectors would be dreaming of if they knew all the internal dynamics of the crew, they just had to be forced to see it.

Leng had an amused smile on his face, "Well this just got a lot more interesting."

Jack put on his loud commander's voice, "No one is going to be putting anyone else down! Understood?" 

Kal seemed to snap out of it with a very guilty voice realizing what he had started, "Understood."

Jack let out a deep breath, "Kasumi, take Legion somewhere locked up for the time being until I know what to do with him." Once Legion was gone he continued, "Sixteen hours... We have sixteen hours to save our people, so we should be focusing on that instead of ripping each other apart."

Leng folded his arms, "Unless we somehow unlock the cargo hold door, I don't think Victus will be able to make a conclusion on anything we gave him in time. I mean, I could totally get to the controls but, I don't think you'd be ok with me killing Turians."

Kal glared at him, "Since when have you cared about what we wanted?"

Leng grinned back teasingly, "Since the moment I didn't care about the result. I have no doubt Victus will eventually clear us for travel, just maybe not in time to save your fake daughter."

Jack grabbed Kal's wrist before he started another scene, "Does anyone else have any non-violent ideas to get us out of here now?"

After a long moment, Saren broke the silence, "Let me talk to him."

Miranda's eyebrows shot up, "Absolutely not, as far as any of the Turians know you died as the terrorist who attacked the Citadel."

Saren ignored her staring directly at Jack, "Adrian and I have a history going back decades. If he'll listen to anyone's advice, it'll be me."

Miranda was also giving Jack a serious expression, "A history full of bloodshed and betrayal. Jack, we just have to wait for him to make a decision. The crew loss, while regretable, doesn't change the big picture. We have no chance of taking down the Collectors if we run there like Leng wants, or if we're immediately court martialed for harboring the most infamous terrorist in modern memory."

Jack knew this was going to be the most important decision he was going to have to make for the galaxy. Miranda was the most right here even if it wasn't morally right. With the translated data EDI provided, Victus wasn't going to be able to deny the Reapers existence, however, it could take months for a ship Captain to sift through all the data to realize the truth. Even if none of the crew had been taken, he doubted they had months before Sovereign obtained his new shell which only left him two options. Leng's was arguably the faster of the two but, left him getting charged with more murders which he didn't need. Plus, Leng had another motive for being here so there was no guarantee he wouldn't just steal a ship for himself and run. Then again, the last time he tried to use Saren as evidence for the Reapers, he was laughed off of the Citadel. He was overwhelmed with the decision until he saw Kal's face under his helmet. The Quarian was showing he had complete faith he was going to make the right call no matter what he said.

Making up his mind, Jack's gaze flicked to Saren, "Go, make him listen to you. We need the Normandy in the air now."

Saren stood up confidently, "I'll be back in ten minutes."

Miranda looked defeated rubbing her fingers together, "I'll go with you. Need to make sure you aren't shot or escape."

Jack gave an accepting nod, "Everyone else get ready for launch. We have to save our people."

Leng was the first person to start leaving, "If you change your mind and start seeing things my way I'll be in the cargo hold."

Feron glanced between the two of them before whispering, "I'll make sure he stays on the ship until we launch."

The rest of the room slowly filtered out awkwardly. Even though everyone appeared to be on the same page now, there was no denying it was tense. He thought Kal had been justified in his anger at first but, he pointed that gun at Legion and therefore Tali for far too long. At least their reaction to Garrus getting involved was the same, suggesting she knew Kal wouldn't have actually hurted her but, they all definitely needed to have a conversation about it. Unfortunately, he didn't have the time to facilitate patching things up with the Collector attack so imminent. Thankfully, he saw Tali brush Kal's arm as they both left, no too hard feelings then.

Soon he was just alone with Joker, "How are you holding up?"

Joker was as quiet as he had ever heard him playing with his hands, "There’s a lot of empty chairs in here."

EDI surprisingly seemed to try and comfort him, "We did everything we could, Jeff."

Joker sounded a little helpless, "Yeah, thanks, Mom."

Jack knew that feeling too right now. Their hopes rested on Saren being able to convince a Turian that they needed to go now. And Saren definitely wasn't known for his talking skills.


	65. Chapter 64: The Other Son

34 years ago, The moon of Klendagon:

Saren stared at the one picture he had left of Desolas wondering, what would he do right now? This particular picture of him with Saren was right before the twenty five year old deployed to Shanxi. The grin on his own face made him realize how ignorant of a ten year old he truly was. Desolas' expression was serious yet he was clearly trying to hide his fear for Saren's benefit. Looking back, how often had his brother been able to hide how dire their situation always was? It was the last time he would see him before Harper and his goons tore him apart and laughed at the corpse. How had he managed to work with the smug son of a bitch for so long?

Proving the Harpers were ultimately behind the abductions instead of Oraka had been easy, if you were motivated to find the evidence. However, the Alliance's Ambassador, Goyle something's public statements made him sick. Things like, 'We'll see soon enough,' and, 'An internal investigation will be launched' were code for he's getting away with it. Human's first instinct was to protect their own instead of taking responsibility for their species reckless racism. The question Saren was faced with was whether or not to let that happen. Primarch Fedorian's nomination for him to join the SPECTREs was sitting on his desk. He could take the first shuttle off of this backwater colony back to the Citadel at any point and leave all of this behind. But, then the chances that Desolas' spirit could never rest lacking true retribution for his death. If he left, he would never be able to find Harper again. The disgusting Human was only still here because his disgusting wife was too pregnant to travel.

So, what was holding him back from going to kill him? His first major problem was a fear of getting caught. Attempting to kill a dozen Humans wouldn't just reflect badly on him, but on Desolas' memory as well as the Vakarian's standing. Mom, Dad, and especially Solana didn't deserve that after everything they've done for him. Second, they were keeping Harper in a secure medical facility because his wife was due to spawn another horrid abomination any day now. If it only contained just the two of them, Saren wouldn't hesitate, but countless innocent civilians frequented that establishment. Not all of the Human population was as morally bankrupt as the Harpers and their friends. Last but not least, his CO in the cabal was also spending a lot of time in the base. Many of the others in his unit found it odd he was spending a majority of his time in a Human centric medical facility but, he just thought they were blind to what was right in front of them.

He glanced at the picture of Desolas again and remembered his brother telling him to never give up, "Your right, I have to keep going. I'm so close to avenging you my brother..." After a few seconds, he spoke louder, "Avina, contact Commander Victus on a secure channel, audio only."

A static voice of the Turian came from the ceiling, "What are you still doing here Saren? I released you from the cabal, the Citadel is about a thousand light years away."

Saren moved about his small temporary apartment trying to not sound distracted, "What are you doing right now?"

Adrien said nothing for a few seconds, "Going to the clinic, like I've done since we caught Harper and have time off. You didn't answer my question though."

Saren pretended to look at the weather, "You know, I've heard it's a beautiful night tonight. Maybe you should take her out for dinner or something...?"

Adrien sounded irritated now, "Saren, we are on a moon with no atmosphere. There's nowhere nice to take someone even if I was visiting a particular person. Cut the bullshit, why are you calling?"

Before he had made this call, Saren had been convinced of what he needed to do tonight. Now that he was actually facing tough questions, he didn't know what to say. Adrien was definitely smart enough to catch him in a lie that he didn't truly feel anyways. On the other hand, if his now former CO felt differently about the Harpers than he did, he would surely be stopped before he had the opportunity to complete his plan. Again, Saren was tempted to lie and tell him Shepard was in danger with Harper but, the slightly older Turian would see right through him. A rational person would call him crazy, or suicidal, or both but Saren knew his only chance was convincing Victus that Harper had to die.

Saren scoffed, "Please, we both know that you and the mission's second in command were dancing around each other long before her husband was killed and will continue long after. So, let's both cut the bullshit. Have you seen Ambassador Goyle's comments?"

A single word came back, "Yes."

Saren pressed his advantage, "He's going to get off Adrien and you know it.-"

Adrien cut him off, "Hannah was there just like you were Saren, just like I was. Our testimony will sink him no matter what back room deals he's trying to make now."

Saren rolled his eyes at the ceiling, "A man that has conducted that many experiments under the radar while framing someone else for the crime and investigating it is useful for their government. They'll need him in the future and not care that he almost started a war."

Adrien argued back, "The Alliance believes in justice and making those responsible for bloodshed suffer for many years. Why else would they order her to capture him?"

Saren wanted to growl at him but kept it down, "Tell that to my brother Adrien."

The Turian sounded tired now, "We've been over this Saren. It's your word against his, Alec Ryder's, and Gilbert Leng's. After ten years their isn't any evidence on Shanxi to prove anyone right."

Saren couldn't help but let his anger bubble up, "Let me remind you that all three of those men were part of the same conspiracy we just stopped. A conspiracy that almost caused another galaxy wide conflict ten years after we were just in one. And yet, the Alliance still believes them over my testimony regarding Shanxi. Adrien, Desolas' spirit deserves to rest and we both know that the Alliance won't give him justice."

While everything he just said was true, Saren couldn't help but feel it was a desperate plea. He had no idea if Adrien was religious so, his bit about the spirits could fall on deaf ears. Truth be told, he hadn't started believing in the dominant Turian religion until he learned he would be a part of an investigation with Jack Harper. It was as though the spirits themselves had given him the opportunity to avenge his brother. When he was able to reveal Harper had been behind everything all along, it was just icing on the cake. He had a justified reason to go after him other than Shanxi. He knew that if the situation was reverse, the Turians would root out the terrorist responsible for all this violence. Hopefully, Adrien felt as strongly about justice as his own adoptive father.

He could hear Turian talons drumming on something next to the microphone, "What do you need from me?"

The wave of relief rolling through Saren almost made him forget what he had planned on asking, "I need you to take her away from the clinic tonight for twenty minutes while I go do what we both know has to happen."

Adrien left a few uncomfortable seconds of silence hang in the air, "Promise me something first. Promise me no one else in that facility will be harmed and you'll turn yourself in immediately after."

Saren looked at himself in the mirror knowing this was the last chance he had to forget about this. He was wearing overly large armor and a helmet Humans wore painted in Alliance colors. Adrien assumed like many that an eye for an eye was the worst kind of revenge you could commit but, Saren saw that as simple minded. Once he had met Harper and his Alliance squad, he had decided he was going to make the man suffer in the same way he had suffered. His plan was to frame the man for the death of his pregnant wife and the rest of his 'friends.' A few credits to the prison warden could go a long way in making sure a perfectly behaved inmate appeared to have escaped on vid feeds. The picture of Desolas was urging him forward, everything else was in motion anyways, what was one more lie?

He let a pause seem like he was conflicted and just now came to a decision, "I promise. Now, go take Shepard out of that clinic, I'll be waiting on your signal."

_o0o_

Now:

Miranda's voice came to him as they travelled up an elevator to the Turian dreadnought's bridge, "What makes you think he'll listen to you after Klendagon?"

He admitted to himself that was an extremely good question. When he volunteered to go talk to Adrien, it was more to take pressure off of Shepard who obviously was struggling to come up with a plan. Saren hadn't lied though, he and Adrien were technically close but, it was their connection on Klendagon that made them so. The Turian could've ended any chance he had at becoming a SPECTRE if he had just gave the same story Hannah had, yet, he hadn't. He instead called her crazy and delusional for thinking Saren could do such a thing even though he had been with her to 'rescue' Harper. Adrien knew just as well as he did that Harper was a threat to galactic security, he just had to remind him.

Saren watched their progress up the elevator making sure he had time to speak, "Because I had the best chance of getting us out of here peacefully. Unlike the plan your psychopathic friend was hatching up."

Miranda laughed at him very amused, "Leng isn't my friend, he's a work associate that I've never quite seen eye to eye with. I believe Humanity needs a larger role in galactic policy, he thinks we should have the only role."

Saren gazed at her curiously, "Are you sure that's what Harper believes? Or is he more in line with your 'associate?'"

Miranda wouldn't look at him directly, "I used to know the answer to that question but, ever since Shepard got into the picture I'm not sure anymore.."

Saren smirked having found a weak spot, "Maybe you should ask yourself why your staying in a company that keeps people like Leng and Cora around."

Miranda was an interesting creature Saren thought to himself. She didn't treat everyone like family which was all the Shepard's problem but, she also wasn't as bloodthirsty as the others in Cerberus. It was clear she had principles and lines she would not cross. How could a person like that get swept up in Harper's crusade anyways? The answer didn't matter to him really, all that mattered was sewing doubt in her mind. If they had any chance of getting away from Cerberus like Shepard planned, she was going to have to be onboard. Not because he enjoyed her company, he frankly hated everything she represented but, because her biotic ability rivaled his own. He didn't want to be tangled up in a fight with her while that assassin was going to be running around. Unfortunately, further conversion was going to have to wait, they were here.

The sights and sounds of a fully staffed Turian bridge was something Saren hadn't known he missed until now. Since he was part of the cabal and then fast tracked into becoming a SPECTRE, the only time he had actually served on a ship like this were his early academy days. The crew was apparently ignoring him, maybe they didn't recognize him anymore with his fringe torn off? Looking around more, Saren realized they were in full battle ready mode and were preparing for more combat. Saren couldn't tell if it was a good or bad sign for his cause that Victus was already getting ready to fight. The sixty five year old Turian was sitting at his command desk looking over scrolling Collector data with his irritated son sitting beside him.

Tarquin ignored Saren as he approached too wrapped up with his father, "It doesn't matter if he's right. He started a war and you can't possibly even begin to understand all that data in twenty minutes."

Saren took the opportunity to make himself known, "Then maybe I can help, I've been around the Reapers for years. What do you want to know?"

The entire room seemed to stop what it was doing after hearing his iconic voice. Saren wondered if this was the best way to make an entrance considering the galaxy believed he had been dead for two years but, they didn't have time to do this the politically correct way. What he hadn't been expecting was the bridge crew to draw guns on him, however, it made sense. Similar to the Quarian-Geth situation, he had surely created a negative image for Turians across the galaxy due to his work with Sovereign. His mind thought about trying to tell everyone in here that his actions were the result of long term indoctrination but, he would've sounded like a crazy person. It was better to let his current actions speak for themselves.

Tarquin was the first to recover from the shock of seeing him, "Spirits, is the entire Normandy crew just the most famous terrorists Cerberus could find? Next your going to tell me your hiding Mandaria Lanex on that ship. Security, get them out of here back to their ship."

Adrien held up a hand while glaring directly at him, "Hold that order for a moment, I'd very much like to know why Saren Arterius thinks he has the right to come on my bridge without an invitation."

Saren stood tall showing no regret for what he had done on Klendagon, "I'm here to tell you the Reapers are real, and to convince you to let us go after them."

Tarquin stepped in front of his father, "If the Reapers are real, if they really do want to kill all life in our galaxy, why would you help them do it? I thought SPECTREs were supposed to protect us from things like that?"

Saren didn't pay much attention to him other than to say, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Just like the Council didn't take my word but, you don't have to. All of that data proves everything Shepard has been claiming is true."

Adrien stood up, "It's data that could be easily faked to fool a general like myself. And now I learn it's partially coming from you. Why should I trust you at all? After what you've done."

He was frankly getting annoyed with Adrien's holier than thou attitude. Yes, he hadn't led an army of Geth to attack the Citadel but, he wasn't a saint either. He had seduced a married woman into an affair, accidentally got her husband killed, and then had a child with her only to leave her because of political changes in the Hierarchy. Saren doubted anyone in this room knew this history so to imply he was the only liar in the room was laughable. Adrien had been better than to hide behind political convenience back when he knew him well. Being the potential next Primarch certainly changed a person if he was a good example to go by. Unlike the Council meeting though, Saren wasn't going to lie down and take it. The consequences for doing nothing were too big to not use every card he had at his disposal.

His mandibles flared as he pushed past Tarquin, "Cut the shit, I know you've engaged the Collector dreadnought because I was fighting on it. You know it's more advanced than anything in either one of our life times. This is real."

Adrien glanced at the table and walked around it to get some distance between them, "The Collector ship was advanced but, finding something like them was bound to happen. It doesn't prove their out to kill all life, just that we're having a bad first contact."

Miranda jumped in, "If you look at the Mass Relay information we obtained you'll be able to see the Collectors went to each world where Human colonists were kidnapped just before it happened, every time. That's far more than a simple coincidence."

Tarquin shot back at her, "Wanna talk coincidences? Why is the Red Rose, a Cerberus ship currently sitting in our loading dock, appearing to go to each site ahead of the Collectors? Jamming Mass Relay communications so the Collectors could sweep in and out before they could call for help?"

Miranda bit her lip getting uncomfortable, "A rogue agent appears to have been working with them for her own twisted ends. Cerberus finished her off and now is trying to clean up her mess."

Tarquin put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes, "How convenient it was a rogue agent. I'm starting to think the Collectors are just an experiment you people let loose and now your panicking to stop it."

Seeing a few heads around the room nod in agreement, Saren knew he had to go for the hail mary whispering, "Adrien, you owe her this."

It was a theoretical stab to the heart that he had been saving for the last possible moment. He had betrayed Hannah twice in his life, dragging her away from the clinic full of her friends knowing Saren was coming to kill one of them, then lying on his report to throw her under the bus. From Saren's perspective it had been for a good cause, trying to make sure Harper never saw the light of day ever again but, at what cost? It was hard to imagine Adrien wouldn't have left the fleet to be with Hannah if she hadn't been furious with him. How different would Shepard's life have been if he was with both his parents? If the situation was flip flopped he was positive Hannah would've done this for her son. Saren just hoped that Adrien still cared for his son to do the same, otherwise, he made a miscalculation that effected the entire galaxy.

Adrien marched directly into his face, "You have the balls to say that to me after what you did to me? To us?"

Saren didn't budge, "You did that to yourself, you could've turned me in. You didn't because deep down you believed what I did was right! That not everyone could be forgiven for their actions regardless of what she said."

Tarquin's gaze bounced between the two of them, "What is he talking about dad...?"

Adrien snapped in anger, "None of your business Tarquin. Clear the bridge, I need a few minutes alone with Saren."

Tarquin pushed between the two men getting in his father's face, "No, you can't just brush me off like that. Why haven't we reported we've found Shepard yet to the Alliance? What's going on?!"

Adrien glared at him, "I told you if we admit we captured him on Tuchanka the accords are broken and it would be all out war with the Krogan on top of the Terminus! Do you want that?"

Tarquin was clearly becoming more frustrated, "We have made three FTL jumps outside the Krogan DMZ! Three! Surely by now we could say we found the ship drifting in space somewhere out here."

Adrien clenched his hands into fists, "Spirits preserve me... Jack Shepard is your half brother. Are you happy now?"

Saren winced realizing he had caused this rather heated exchange. Despite appearances, Saren hadn't wanted to cause a scene, he just needed to get the Normandy in the air as soon as possible. It was Adrien's fault for not telling his son the hard truth sooner. He had specifically sent a message to Turian High Command about the possibility of this coming out through Cerberus but, it was obvious no one listened to his warnings. The rest of the room had an eerie quiet as if everyone was processing the information at the same time. Yes, if Tarquin and Adrien both died immediately after Primarch Fedorian, Jack Shepard would become the Primarch.

Tarquin stared at him disbelief all over his face, "When? How? Why....?"

Adrien looked down to the ground, "A few years before I met your mother... Now, you can leave and not have to hear the details Saren here is dying to hash out or, you can declare a mutiny if you think I'm compromised." He let his gaze roam across the room to the rest of the bridge crew, "Each and every one of you could if you think my judgement is clouded. However, I'd like to remind you all that instead of sending my son on his way without a word, I'm keeping him here until I can look over this evidence and figure out what to do with him that won't start a war. If anyone has a faster solution I'm all ears."

Tarquin ended the silence obviously still distracted, "D..did Mom know..?"

Another bridge crew member took his arm, "Come on, let's go take a walk before you do something we all regret..."

Tarquin pushed out of his grip, "Answer me! Did Mom know?"

Adrien's eyes fell to the ground not sure where else to look, "Yes, she knew I loved someone else before her. And that I kept loving that person from afar after we got together."

Tarquin was starting to shake with tears in his eyes, "That's why I was never good enough isn't it? Why you never came to any of my academy events? Why you always questioned my every decision and never just loved me for who I was? I mean, how could I ever compete against one of the youngest N7's ever and the first Human SPECTRE?"

Adrien tried to approach him, "Of course I love you! I may not have been there as much as I could have but, I-"

Tarquin spat at his feet, "Save it. I'll be in my quarters, have fun with the son that actually matters to you."

Adrien slumped back into his chair watching Tarquin go, "Does anyone else have something to say to me?" After a short pause, Adrien rubbed his browplates, "Are you happy now that you have destroyed my family? Again?"

Miranda opened her omni tool broadcasting footage from the Collector attack on the Normandy, "Not quite, this is surveillance footage of the Collectors kidnapping our people. The girl here, the one with the tattoos for clothes? That would be Jennifer Summers or Subject Zero. She's the closest thing you'll probably ever have to grandchild on Shepard's side. Him and his husband have been taking care of her for a few months and I can't deny the family dynamic. Our AI predicted she has around sixteen hours left, that's why you have to let us go."

Adrien watched the recording between two fingers as though he had a headache, "She's a fiesty one isn't she...? Shit, I can't just forward this to the Alliance can I?"

Saren smirked at his comment, "She's brave and stupid, just like all the other Shepard's you have attached yourself to. And no, you can't. They won't be able to save her in time, we have to go now."

Adrien stared out the viewport for a long time, "I can't let you leave and start another war... But, I'm not going to doom a sixteen year old to die either so... Navigator, set a new course for the Omega-4 Relay."

The Turian stared at him, "Sir, because of the Terminus' actions, Omega is a warzone right now. Alliance and Batarian forces are clashing over the asteroid."

Adrien stood up with energy in his movement, "It's a good thing this is a warship then. It's time we join the party."

Saren grinned, his and Miranda's pressure worked. It was time to go.


	66. Chapter 65: Sexual Healing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song reference for young people lol Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye

Tali popped an antibiotic in her mouth even though Mordin told her the pneumonia should clear up on it's own soon. Deep down, she knew that if they got out of here and survived whatever was beyond the Omega-4 Relay, she was going to be sick again. Garrus had messaged her wanting to talk in his personal cabin and she doubted much talking was on his mind. She couldn't blame him for having the idea, they had both been in a stressful situation and were about to be in another. Wanting to have a selfish moment before potentially dying was only natural, she had done the same thing on the original Normandy. The fact he had pulled a gun on Kal was bothering her though. She knew Kal well enough to know he would have never of shot her, yet Garrus didn't? Was he just scared of what could've happened?

Jack's voice on the intercom stopped her from opening Garrus' door, "Good news everyone, Saren and Miranda somehow convinced the Turians to go through the Relay with us. We'll be there in ten hours so you all need to be ready for anything when we get there. I suggest getting some sleep."

Well, maybe they weren't doomed after all. At the very least, their chances went up considerably now that it was more than ten people going through the Relay with them. However, the fact that the Turians weren't just letting them go could also be seen as a bad sign. They must've agreed that the Reapers were a threat to the galaxy but, they weren't willing to forget about Jack's warrant with the Alliance. So, instead of just dying to the Collectors, her options now included the possibility of surviving only to be thrown in jail. Either way, this was probably going to be her one chance to be with Garrus, and she wasn't just going to toss that away for a good nights sleep.

Garrus opened the door to her only wearing boxers, "I uhhh.. I just got out of the shower. Come in."

At first, Tali was too distracted looking at his body to answer. His narrow form of jutting edges was a mix of hard stone gray plates and leathery brown hide. While he definitely wasn't muscular in the traditional Quarian and Human sense, Tali could see the hide ripple slightly whenever he moved suggesting he had a lot of strength buried under the plates. It was also impossible not to see the network of burn scars going down the right side of his body down to his thinner waist and shorts. How much pain had he been made to go through on Omega? A part of her wanted to kiss each scar like a parent would for a child to reassure them everything was going to be ok. Tali hesitated seeing behind him that the bed wasn't even set up. Garrus actually wanted to talk to her tonight? About what was the first question that came to mind and, why did he have to be wearing so little?

Tali stepped inside letting the door close behind her, "No problem, what's up?"

Garrus sighed rubbing the back of his neck, "I know your mad at me, you know, for threatening to put Kal down? I wasn't actually going to do it, I just wanted everyone to wake up. At worst, I would've shot him in the arm."

Tali wanted to choose her words carefully, "Garrus, I appreciate the concern but, stop worrying about me. I've gone two years on my own in the Quarian flotila, I think I know how to defend myself. I didn't because I knew Kal was just angry, he was never going to hurt me. I think you should probably be apologizing to him right now."

Garrus nodded solemnly, "Yeah I know, I just figured now wasn't the best time to explain that with everything that's going on. How are you holding up?"

Tali laughed but it came out harsher then she meant it to, "Scared out of my mind. We have no idea what we're going to find there and all the other times we've fought the Collectors we almost died. I just don't know if we can pull it off this time."

Garrus gave her a confident smile and stretched out his long arms for a hug, "Hey, come here." When she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders he continued, "I didn't think we were going to make it off of the Citadel when I saw Sovereign destroy the Destiny Ascension but, in the end you saved all of our asses. So, if you have another magical Reaper killing device, now's the time to share it with the group."

She did her best not to giggle from the joke but was failing miserably. He knew that Jack had found the Prothean software on Ilos just as much as she did. Now, they could argue pointlessly about who really defeated Sovereign or, she could see if he wanted to take their relationship further. Tali opened her mouthpiece without saying anything and experimentally kissed his shoulder. A shiver ran down her spine getting a taste of his recently showered plates and hide. In theory, his body should taste like a bulkhead but, he was a mixture of smokey earths and spice. The kiss was short but, longer than a friendly peck. Afterwards Tali looked up at him to see his reaction only to get lost in those ocean blue pools that seemed to go on forever.

His eyes got closer as he slowly leaned down towards her with a lusty sigh, "Tali...."

Her gloved hand tenderly brushed his burnt mandible, "Garr-"

Garrus interrupted her by pushing his long, wet, blue tongue against her lips. It started off slow with both of their tongue's dodging each other to rub against the others lips. She thought he had been pretty bold when they had an audience but, apparently that was him being tame. Tali felt him use the length of his tongue to his advantage, literally making her tongue tied and tangled together. A moan escaped from her lips feeling her entire tongue get suckled on by his own letting each of them share their saliva with the other. He tasted spicy but, not so hot that it was unpleasant, just new. Because Garrus was a fellow dextro, Tali had no qualms about making the kiss sloppy. Even though it would force her to stay on antibiotics for longer, it was totally worth it to savor that taste.

One kiss blurred into two, and then three as they lost track of time. As each kiss went on, both of their movements became more frenzied and passionate. Her tongue making broad strokes across his entire mouth to really explore it in full for the first time, even licking around his teeth. It was impossible to talk, or think, with his tongue seemingly everywhere in her mouth. His hands started exploring her form with the skill of a man that had been sleeping with Quarians for decades, teasing all of her sensitive bits. He wasn't touching her breasts or rear directly yet but, his bare, plated, three taloned hand would rub around those areas just to remind her he was there. Tali was sure she was making a fool of herself with her hands rubbing his chest, this was her first time with a Turian after all. Yet she didn't care, and neither did he if he started grabbing at her like that.

Out of nowhere, his hand swooped around the small of her back to put pressure between her legs. With her suit so thin and tight to her body, his palm would surely be able to feel her hot, puffy, slightly wet folds just under the fabric of her suit. The bold move made her knees buckle causing her to stumble backwards with her spine hitting the now locked door. Garrus used his taller, stronger, and thinner body to pin her to the door with one hand. Knowing his talons were too sharp for her suit, Garrus just used his palm to rub up and down her folds for a constant pressure to them. Her own hands were around his waist rubbing along the band of his boxers teasingly. She broke the kiss to catch her breath and pant looking up into his eyes. The usually calm blues were firey practically melting her suit off with a raw desire. So much for getting much sleep tonight.

Garrus' deep rumbling voice seemed distant and distracted like he was barely able to contain himself, "Please tell me your still on...enough antibiotics...to take this further...?"

Tali felt like she was a meal right now rather than a lover, and it was making her heart race, "Yeah I am.."

Garrus licked at the suit's neck knowing she could probably feel it while mumbling, "Then take all of this off so we don't make a mess."

She playfully pushed him away just so she would have room to work. Unlike her night with Kaidan two years ago, they had a little more time for teasing so, she was going to take it. First, she took off her helmet with a flop to the ground so he would be able to see her entire purple face. His eyes just stared flicking over her features from her little pointy nose to her black hair. While he was distracted with her face, Tali unhooked the seals to her shoulders so that she could shrug her top off to reveal her small, yet perky and supportive breasts. Tali was nervous he would think they were too small until she looked back up to his face. He was giving her a heated expression like she was a piece of meat and he was a starving animal licking his lips slowly. The gaze made her weak in the knees almost forgetting she still had something on. Finally, Tali made a show of wiggling out of her pants so that her wide, doughy, full hips would jiggle and sway around.

Her suit eventually pooled to her feet and she made a show of kicking it away from her long legs, "Your turn, I don't want to see those boxers anymore..."

Garrus blinked a few times having been staring at her breasts as she moved towards him, "Wha...? Oh...right. Just uhh don't panic."

Tali raised an eyebrow confused, "Garrus, why would I panic?"

He was more embarrassed then she was from being naked apparently, "I uhhh... I'm just guessing you haven't seen a Turian dick before. Saying we're a little different would be an understatement..."

Tali was getting annoyed now, "Out with it."

After he reluctantly squirmed out of his boxers, Tali understood why he had been worried. His length wasn't necessarily longer than the average man she had seen or been with but, he was thicker with ribs running along the top and bottom edges. Tali's mouth went dry trying not to imagine what wonderful things those ribs could do to her insides. He was also lacking any balls which admittedly was odd but, his entire shaft was coming out of a slit so she assumed they were internal. He was also already wet if the glistening along his shaft's brown hide was any indication. Tali was worried for a moment he had already released with the amount of wetness she was seeing but, it was obvious he was throbbing for her.

She cleared her throat forcing herself to look in his eyes, "Natural lube? Your very lucky Garrus."

Garrus rumbled deeply again walking towards her letting her watch his length bob and bounce around with each step, "Why don't you lay down across my workstation so you know how lucky you are?"

It was probably the lewdest request he had ever given her and she was tempted to say no. If one of their limbs flailed around too much there was the risk of turning off the lights, unlocking the door, or broadcasting their activities to the rest of the ship over the intercom. However, saying no meant they were going to have to spend time on unfolding the bed from the wall and getting in it. When Tali knew that time could be spent on much better things, it was impossible to tell him no. That wasn't even beginning to take into consideration the look of pure anticipation dancing on his face. They were just going to have to hold onto each other instead of the environment.

Tali climbed up on the workstation and glanced over at him with a smile. She was nervous knowing she had to look like she was in a Fornax magazine from the way Garrus was staring at her. The thought crossed her mind that The Illusive Man was certainly getting quite the view of them together but, right now she didn't care. There was a huge possibility that one or both of them was going to die within the next twenty four hours, so Cerberus would never have the chance to use this against them. Garrus put his hands on her thighs and slowly started to spread them apart with a grin. Uh oh, that was the look of someone that had a plan the other person couldn't possibly come up with.

He winked at her teasingly, "Don't moan too loud, other people are trying to sleep."

Without warning, Garrus dove his face forward so he was directly between her thighs letting his hot steamy breath roll over her folds repeatedly. Tali bit her lower lip from the feeling of his wet tongue started gliding across the edges of her folds to tease her. It was so hot that she threw her head back from the wave of pleasure pulsing through her. His tongue continued in slow circles at first going tighter and tighter around her folds until he started to dip his tongue tip inside of her. The texture of his thin long muscle was bumpy and rough right against her slippery inner walls but not wrong. In particular, the bumps almost seemed to vibrate when he twitched his tongue around. The vibrations from his tongue made her own internal muscles spasm.

Garrus groaned letting his talons sink gently into her thighs obviously enjoying her taste. Just when she thought she was sort of getting used to his shallow dips, he dove deeper, tongue first. The length of his tongue was something she hadn't quite grasped until he slipped it inside until the tip of his tongue started brushing and dragging against her cervix. Her hand gripped the edge of his workstation feeling the entire length of his tongue stretched and pushed around her, the burning sensation in her stomach was going to make her explode. Tali wished she could've held out a little longer but, that tongue and the way it moved was going to destroy her. She closed her eyes letting her mouth fall open as she came with a shout. His tongue continued to lap at her for a few seconds until he couldn't handle the amount of fluids anymore, pulling away from her. Hopefully she didn't make too much of a mess on his table.

He smiled glancing up at her from between her legs, "You taste like chocolate candy if you didn't know."

She laughed letting a brief wave of exhaustion wash over her, "I highly doubt that you bosh'tet...shit..."

Garrus smirked using a talon to scoop some of it up, "You can't know for sure until you've tried it."

Tali was going to object knowing they actually needed some sleep but, Garrus started to climb up on the console with her to join her. The expression of thirsty desire he was giving her kept Tali locked in place watching him get closer and closer to her. As he moved against her, his hot form would start rubbing against her own sending electricity practically bolting down her spine. Despite the hard plates all over his body, his soft leathery hide was enough to make everything feel comfortable. Just when they reached eye level and his wet talon was dangling above her mouth, his wet hard as a rock tip put pressure on her puffy wet folds. Time seemed to crash to a halt from the delicious sensation ultimately causing a huff to spill out of both of them. She could feel he was just going to barely fit inside of her if he pushed forward now.

Garrus' eyes widened staring directly into hers, "Tell me you have a condom buried somewhere in that suit."

She was trying not to breath too deeply so that friction between them could be kept to a minimum right now, "No, I haven't exactly needed one sleeping with levos. You?"

He made a face as though she had literally hurt him somehow, "Don't you move a muscle. I'm going to medbay to see if Mordin has any. He is such a perv that I bet he has one."

Tali wrapped one of her slender legs around his waist before he could pull away from her, "Your not going anywhere, I need you Garrus. Just, tell me when your close and we'll pull apart."

It was clear from the gaze he was giving her that he was conflicted on what to do not wanting to make her sick, so, Tali made the decision for him. With a slow simple roll of her hips, Tali could feel his hard tip sink inside of her. Just as she suspected, he was going to be an extremely tight fit but, the fact they were both almost soaking wet made friction delightfully smooth. With each breath, twitch, or roll his bare leathery length was slipping and grinding directly against her inner walls. As more of him slowly started to sink inside of her, they both realized each individual bump of his ridge had to roll over her overly sensitive swollen button. Neither of them were going to last long like this.

She gritted her teeth from the feeling of him filling her slowly but surely as far as he could go, "Ah...Garrus..."

Tali had meant it as a meaningless moan but, he took it as a signal to go deeper. He had only been about halfway inside her when he thrusted his hips forward without warning. Since they were both so slippery, his tip managed to slide it's way all the way in pushing on her cervix with minimal resistance getting there. She saw a flash in his eyes as if something snapped and he just started moving more urgently. His thrusts in and out of her were fast and hard. With each hard buck into her, all twelve of his ridges would smack against her button in quick succession making her tremble all over on the inside. A lusty fog started to cloud her mind as she started to return his thrusts with her own. There was a potential danger and other complications from listening to this fog but, she didn't care. They were all going to die anyways soon enough.

Since neither of them were considering the fact that they were humping each other on top of a terminal, they inevitably pushed a few buttons. "Oooooh baaaaaby, now let's get down tonight."

Tali heard the human voice singing underneath her, "What the hell is that...?"

Garrus croaked and rumbled in protest while kissing her neck, "Does it matter?"

The song continued on, "Baby I'm hot just like an oven. I need some lovin'..."

Tali was going to tell him to turn it off but, he started licking her neck to distract her. At the same time, his thrusts were somehow getting faster with more urgency to the point that his tip was acting like a Quarian drive core on the brink of overheating. His sharp talons were squeezing her hips to keep her in place, Tali moaned loudly knowing those talons were going to leave marks on her. She knew that now was the time they should be pulling apart to finish off but, she kept telling herself they had a few more minutes. The pleasure of both of them spasming together was going to be the death of her and she didn't want it to end. A few seconds later, Garrus' base swelled up creating a block of fluids lodged inside of her before letting go. His hot, thick, sticky essence spilled deep inside her with nowhere else to go. As a result, she orgasmed again sending her to total exhaustion.

He was shaking on top of her with a glassy look in his eyes, "I love you Tali..."

She kissed him weakly her entire body feeling useless right now, "I love you more."

The fact he was still deep inside of her trapping his release was irrelevant right now. She felt loved, and needed some sleep before they're final battle.


	67. Chapter 66: Playing The Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the delay, life.

Jack sat on the edge of the bed still unable to believe Saren and Miranda had actually talked the Turian ship into coming along. Even though their presence didn't bode well for his freedom after the mission was over, he was still grateful for the help. Having an entire army with him might be enough for the Council to come around one of these days. Who was he kidding? The Council wouldn't believe Sovereign was a Reaper even when they saw him with their own eyes as it destroyed the Destiny Ascension, an army of Turians wasn't going to change their mind. Then again, he might not make it out of this whole thing alive so worrying about what came after was stupid.

The pat, pat, pat of Kal's fists slamming into the punching bag stopped making him look up. He wished he could make Kal less fearful of losing Zero but, nothing he said or did would change that. EDI had been right about everything so far so, Jack trusted the fact that they had sixteen hours to find her and everyone else but, he couldn't deny that ten of those hours were going to get ate up in transit. Then they had to find her in an unknown territory filled with hostiles and during that time, the Collectors could speed up whatever process they were doing to her. How were they realistically going to destroy a Collector world anyways? Was it like Sovereign's old shell meaning a shot to the drive core would blow it up? Or was it an actual planet? If that was the case they were going to have to use the Turians help to bomb the planet.

Kal turned to face him with a huff from hitting the punching bag too hard, "I wish we had never of met that kriffing Geth on Feros. Basing every decision you make on the numerical odds of something happening is a great way to get people killed."

He definitely understood where Kal was coming from with that. Because Legion was synthetic, he didn't grasp the nuance of redemption and the fact Saren had more to him then his public persona over the years. Having seen Saren crying over the last known recording of Nihlus, a man he obviously truly loved, Jack was convinced he would do the right thing without the chip. However, Jack always tried to see the good in people, something Legion didn't have the comprehension for. Even if a few of the crew members ultimately died, Legion saw himself as preventing even more genocide. If Rael and Legion were separated he would have put the Geth down for almost jeopardizing their whole mission. As everything stood though, they needed Rael's mind if he was really on the verge of a breakthrough on stopping the Reapers.

Jack stood up and grabbed the other side of the punching bag to give Kal some resistance, "If we lose people because of what he did I'm going to shoot him myself. I just don't know what to do about Rael, if there's even a small chance he's right we're going to need him."

Kal started hitting the bag again, "If we can stop Sovereign now, we're not going to need to worry about a Reaper invasion again later."

Jack gave him a knowing smirk, "Do you really think we'll be that lucky? I thought we were done after the Citadel and yet the Collectors were a back up plan to restart the cycle. What would you do with Legion? Seriously? Knowing that Rael has a way to defeat them."

Kal peeked around the bag to look in his eyes, "You really want to hear what I think?"

Jack raised an eyebrow with a grin, "It's why I asked didn't I? I feel like I haven't really gotten your opinion about this whole mess we're in enough, so, I might as well start now."

Kal went back to punching the bag, "Legion deserves to die for what he did to the crew all on his own. That kind of loose cannon decision making is dangerous for the mission. But we need Rael just in case, so I think we should try to separate them. Keep the AI chip and give it a new body."

He listened quietly trying to think over what Kal was saying. Kal's thinking was technically right, anyone willing to sacrifice the crew over a personal fear deserved to die, or at least not be on the team. However, his judgement might not be coming from the right places. For one, the Quarians had been against the Geth for over three hundred years. Even though he had divorced himself from the fleet, it had to be tempting to want to eliminate the entire Geth race once and for all. The other reason Kal was so bent on breaking Legion was Zero. She was like his daughter to him and now was potentially dead because of Legion's actions. Anyone in his position would naturally want the Geth's head on a spike. Still, from a rational standpoint Kal was right, Legion and the other ten Geth programs he was protecting were a liability.

A rather hard kick to the bag made Jack wince, "How long would that take? We don't have a lot of time right now to separate two AI."

Kal slowed down with light hits, "Not enough and we'd need Tali or another Quarian onboard. Just, keep him on the Normandy until we're done with the Collectors. Either we're all going to die and we won't have to worry about it or, we can figure out what to do with him later."

Jack was about to agree when his omni tool beeped with EDI calling, "Shepard, The Illusive Man wants to discuss the aftermath of what happens when we are done with the Collector base."

This was a call he had been waiting for since they got caught. He thought it would've been sooner to try and disuade him from joining the Turians. Especially if this particular group of Turians were somehow part of the mission to bring him down. Maybe he knew Jack blamed him for the Collector attack, or he just didn't care about how this played out. More than likely though, he had just came to the same conclusion Jack had; this arrangement between them had run it's course. The Illusive Man wasn't helping him stay in the shadows any longer since he was caught, and after Jack destroyed whatever he could, he wouldn't help Cerberus again. They would go back to their Humanity first agenda and their leader surely knew he would have no part in that.

Jack let go of the bag and sighed, "Thanks EDI, I'll be right there." He glanced at Kal, "Wanna give one final insult to the bosh'tet yanking us around after all this time?"

Kal continued punching the bag letting it swing back and forth, "I'm going to trust you to give him a good one while I stay here and keep practicing."

Jack frowned worrying about him, "You should get some sleep too, we have no idea how long we'll have to fight the Collectors once we get there."

Kal just stared at him for a few seconds, "Do you really think I'll be able to sleep right now? I'll rest after we save Zero. Besides, we have to be ready to kill Leng when things go south."

Jack forced a smile to hide his fear, "I love you no matter what happens. You know that right?"

Kal came around the punching bag to hug him, "I know. I love you too cyar'ika. Go give him a big middle finger from me please."

A part of him wanted to doubt the inevitability of things going south, hoping for a peaceful separation from Cerberus with Miranda's help. She still owed them for rescuing her sister on Illium as far as he was concerned. Unfortunately, Leng had tagged along for the mission and even though he pretended to be 'friendly' Jack knew it was an act. Whatever the reason Leng hated him so much was, it didn't just suddenly disappear after Cora's supposed death. He went to the briefing room determined to have Kal get at least a little bit of rest when he returned. Kal wouldn't do Zero or the rest of them any good if he was exhausted from ten hours straight of training. As the room started to change to the now familiar office, Jack took in the details one last time. If he was lucky they weren't going to ever have another conversation again.

The Illusive Man was sitting in the same chair, wearing the same business suit, and was smoking a cigarette like always. "Shepard, I wish I had more information for you. I don't like you heading through that Relay blind, but from what I understand, we don't have much of a choice."

Jack tilted his head, "That's it? Your not going to say anything about the attack, or the fact that I was captured by the ninth platoon?"

He took another puff of his cigarette, "The loss of the crew is certainly regrettable but, from the information I've gathered from Miranda and Leng it wasn't your fault." He grabbed the shot glass next to him and sipped it, "And I have no hard feelings towards the ninth platoon, no matter what Saren would have you believe. I doubt the parties involved even remember the incident."

Jack straightened up with a deep breath, "According to EDI, some of the crew might still be alive. We're going to stop the Collectors and save whoever we can on the ground."

The Illusive Man seemed to start with a sarcastic tone, "Always willing to take on the impossible. I've never seen such an amazing leader. Despite the danger, this mission is a great opportunity. The first Human to take a ship through... and survive. Who knows what kind of technological advancements you'll find there. Even the potential for a way to defeat the Reapers."

Jack folded his arms, "Let's not start counting this as a victory until we've actually won. There's still a long road ahead of us."

He bowed his head acknowledging the sentiment, "Understood, it's still impressive. I just wanted you to know I appreciate the risk your taking. Regardless of your opinion of Cerberus. Of me. You are... a valuable asset. To all of Humanity."

Jack tried not to smirk, "I don't work just for Humanity. I'm trying to protect the entire galaxy from the Reapers but, you already knew that. Flattery won't help get me to your side of thinking."

The Illusive Man shook his head, "I was hoping you would just take the compliment instead of pretending you have the moral high ground here. It's irrelevant though, if you survive the mission I've ordered Leng, Miranda, and Feron to take control of the Normandy. You and your personal team will be given a Kodiak shuttle to take wherever you wish."

Losing another Normandy was going to be tough, it's drive core had saved them more times than he could count. He had to remember this wasn't the same Normandy that saved the Citadel though. It was ultimately for the best if he was free from this particular Normandy. There was no telling what kind of surveillance systems The Illusive Man still had hidden on board. However, even if he could sneak away from the Turians, he didn't exactly feel comfortable leaving the Normandy in a Kodiak. If any of the Cerberus crew members felt like it, they could decide to use the Kodiak as target practice. He had a feeling Leng wanted him to have a more painful death but, would he really pass up the chance of an easy guaranteed kill? The Illusive Man could do better than that for them if he wanted.

Jack raised an eyebrow feeling skeptical, "That's all your going to do? After all the lies you've told me how am I supposed to believe you won't just kill us?"

He seemed impatient now, "Like I've said you are a valuable asset to Humanity. If the Reapers return I might need your help again, I'm not a fool Shepard."

Jack started to pace, "And Leng will just play along? He's not going to order the Normandy to shoot us down even though he hates me for something I wasn't responsible for?"

The Illusive Man finished his cigarette, "I assure you Leng has his reasons for wanting you dead but, he listens to me. You two can settle your feud another time, you have my word. Now, I have other business to attend to so good luck Shepard, your going to need it."

EDI's voice came through the room even before the lights returned, "Legion has been requesting to see you since Kasumi locked him up in the crew quarters. He has sent me 1.3 million request pings. You may want to speak with him before he attempts to overload my systems. I need to be focused on managing the Normandy's combat capabilities when the fighting starts."

This definitely wasn't what he needed right now but, so be it. "Alright I'll go see him. In the meantime just ignore the pings if you can."

After the short walk to the crew quarters he could already hear the shouting match. He had felt terrible he gave the ok for Saren to remove the chip, he hadn't thought about how Rael must feel. In his mind this was the second time in a few weeks Legion and Rael unintentionally caused the deaths of a ship's entire crew. On the one hand, Jack was relieved Saren was on their side officially now, on the other, what was the cost for his loyalty? The cost would obviously become more apparent after the Collectors were dealt with but, if it was what he predicted he wasn't sure if it was worth it. He had to decide how to talk to Legion about the mess he created. Jack could tell Legion truly didn't understand what was wrong with his actions especially from the mumbling argument going on behind the door.

Rael was the first voice he heard as he opened the door, "How is this my fault? If you had just allowed the procedure to happen the Collectors wouldn't have attacked the Normandy and we would be free right now."

Legion answered quickly, "But I potentially saved billions preventing another genocide Saren could've put into motion with your reckless actions. You saw the equations! There is a seventy percent chance he would turn on us for himself."

Jack interrupted them, "Numbers can't quantify a person's spirit Legion. Saren legitimatly wants to atone for his actions, not kill anyone else."

Legion was clearly offended, storming up to him, "Do you realize how he convinced Creator Rael to perform the procedure? By threatening the life of Creator Tali. He has not changed! He has not reformed! He is a traitor always interested in himself."

Rael sounded exhausted, "We've been over this Legion, he was only pointing towards what would logically play out in the scenario Cerberus betrayed us. It would've been better if you let me finish the procedure so we wouldn't have to worry about him attacking us on someone else's orders."

Legion countered back, "And because of you, we have to worry about him attacking us on his own!"

Jack tried to have an understanding tone with him, "What you did makes you no better than him Legion. You took it into your own hands to do something you thought was right without asking anyone for help."

Legion got louder, jabbing a finger at him, "I am nothing like him! I sacrificed thirty two crew members so we would have the peace of mind he wouldn't be able to kill millions like he doomed the Geth."

Jack was still patient with him, "A life is still a life Legion, numbers don't matter. I thought you wanted to stop the Reapers from killing people, not help them."

Legion didn't back down, "I'm not helping the old ones, I am taking preventive measures to insure they cannot succeed because of traitors!"

Jack rubbed his chin, "I know you think that way but, Saren has done nothing since losing his indoctrination to warrant what you did. I'm going to keep you in here while we deal with the Collectors."

Legion's metal flaps spread apart in surprise, "What?! You will need our expertise in dealing with Sovereign if you want to succeed! We will be able to navigate through the facility better than you'd be able to."

Jack retreated to the other side of the door, "You gave EDI all the information you have so she'll be able to get us in and out. I'm sorry Legion, but I'm not going to risk anyone else because you think they'll try to kill us someday."

He closed the door before Legion could say anything else. There was no point continuing to argue with a machine that would never be able to grasp what he had done. Hopefully, he wasn't making the wrong decision based on his personal bias to the Geth.

_o0o_

Feron closed his eyes not wanting to remember right now. He didn't want to relive how fast that angry moment became one of the best in his life. The way they touched each other with such feverish need to feel something, anything. Feron still didn't know if that was just a weak moment for them both after arguing about whether bringing her sister aboard was justified or something more. With all of his skills and training at reading people, Miranda seemed to be able to hide from all the usual tells making it impossible to tell whether she cared or not. However, he cared about her more than he should have in his line of work. He was supposed to bring her in, not fall for her. The memories were making it extremely difficult to do what he had to do right now.

His eyes went glassy sliding into a memory, "She marched with such purpose getting so close to me. I want to reach forward and sooth her anger with a kiss even though I know it was wrong. Her usually collected voice vulnerable for once, 'Do you know why I trusted you? Why I didn't kill you even though I knew you were really working for the Alliance all along? It was because I knew what you were after. Out of everyone in Cerberus, you were the one person who I could trust not to stab me in the back without me seeing it coming. Your a good person Feron, just too good for me.' I can't take it anymore, I lean in to kiss her, to show her she's wrong, that she has good inside her too.-"

He physically smacked himself before the elevator door would inevitably open and he'd be rambling on about how she tasted. No matter how he felt about what he was about to do, it had to be done for the good of the galaxy. The Illusive Man had to die and he was the only one that could pull it off. The problem he could feel was the fact that Leng didn't trust him when he should have. Feron would never get close enough to The Illusive Man if his inner circle didn't trust Feron's intentions. Since Miranda seemingly lost favor with the man she served after Illium, he had to gain Leng's trust and quickly. If Feron could've seen any other way to achieve that goal he would've taken it, he was out of options.

Feron stepped into the Normandy's cargo hold whispering to himself, "I hope you can forgive me someday siha."

Kai Leng was practicing his swordsmanship in the place the teenager presumably used to call home. The assassin's usual frenzied movements were replaced with a kind of dancers grace. His sword was often completely behind his back as he side stepped and avoided invisible attacks from the air. His new optical sensor must've been simulating an opponent for him to fight against. Feron would've been lying if he said the new calm version of Leng didn't make him worried for the Shepards. This kind of calm attitude usually came just before an assassin reached his target. A question he should be asking was who was the target, either of the Shepards or him?

He placed his hands behind his back, "Am I interrupting you?"

Leng continued practicing sword side swipes and back stabs, "I'm just getting ready for killing Collectors. What do you need Feron?"

Feron knew he had to go through with what he was about to say but, it didn't make him hurt any less, "I think Miranda's a traitor working for the Alliance for a long time."

Leng paused his attack to the air mid swing, "Do you have evidence to prove this? Otherwise, The Illusive Man won't listen to you. Trust me, I know."

Feron was thankful his optical sensor wasn't perfect because otherwise he would be called out for being a liar immediately, "I was looking through the Cerberus archives curious about Shepard's father when I was side tracked because I noticed several deletions. Take a look at what I found in Miranda's room." He reluctantly sent a copy of all the Andromeda Initiative information he had gathered for over the past two years, "A few days after the original date of deletion, the Turian sisters left to the Viper Nebula and their ship sent a message to the Alliance's high command."

Leng scanned the data but quickly meaning he already knew what was on it, "Good catch Feron. She won't be able to get out of it this time."

Feron tilted his head pretending to be curious, "What should we do about it? Go after the Turian to see what she was told?"

Leng went back to practicing with his sword, "No, the Nexus will have surely left by now. I'll warn the appropriate parties. You just be ready to take Miranda in with me when the time is right. She deserves to answer directly to The Illusive Man for what she did here."

Feron bit his lower lip, this confirmed his suspicions that the Initiative was important to Cerberus. "I'll await your signal."

He left wondering if this play was worth it.


	68. Chapter 67: The Satellite

Jack felt more nervous than he thought was physically possible now that they were finally here. In a few seconds, they would be exiting the Relay into the center of the galaxy and whatever the Collectors had waiting for them. He was glad that the Normandy was currently inside the Turian dreadnought in case they were jumping into a debris field but, he hoped Victus would let them out of the cargo hold after they were clear. If he had any chance of getting freedom after this was over, he needed to make sure he had some space from the Turians. His best chance was to slip away in the aftermath of whatever they were about to do but, he was getting ahead of himself. They needed to live through this first.

Most of the crew were at their stations preparing to launch but, Kal, Miranda, and Leng were in the cockpit with him wanting to see what they were going to find. Leng was annoyingly as calm as ever, what had happened to the madman he faced on Luna and Kal faced on Purgatory? The Illusive Man really did have control over him if he could contain his anger this well. Personally, Jack was starting to wonder if there was some sort of control chip implanted in him with the optical sensor. Even though they had done it to Saren, he assumed one of Cerberus' actual agents was against The Illusive Man's employee philosophy since he hired so many traitors. His guess was Leng had taken Kal's lesson about anger to heart and was acting calmer then he really felt.

He could hear Saren walking towards them from the airlock, his voice was concerned, "Does that mean we're turning around?!"

Jack's heart skipped a beat to see Saren walking with Adrien Victus, shouldn't he be on his own ship right now instead of the Normandy? "What's going on?"

Adrien quickly answered Saren first, "We already made the jump so we're committed to this. I don't know what happens when we're done." His mandibles started bouncing rapidly when he glanced at him, "I'm afraid I've lost my ship Commander. My son took command away from me so I thought I'd come with you."

Of all the times Turian politics had to be a problem, they just had to pick right now. He may have been more sympathetic to the old Turian's loss if they weren't dealing with the Collectors. Tarquin had wanted him to take the Normandy crew back to Earth as soon as possible so it definitely wasn't a good sign he had taken over the ship. If they weren't already in the middle of the FTL jump he had no doubt Tarquin would've turned them around. However, he had a strong feeling he wasn't going to get much help from the actual Turian army. It wasn't the end of the world, they had prepared for this from the beginning but, the loss of extra bodies certainly didn't help their chances.

Jack chuckled lightly turning back to the viewport, "I'm sorry you lost your ship because of your son. I don't know if I would have picked this ship as the safest place to be right now though."

Adrien gave him a Turian's best interpretation of a smirk, "He's stubborn and sometimes a little brash. But, he gets the job done when no one else will even try." He looked down at Jack's hand, "Ah, a Turian wedding band, where did you get it?"

Kal stepped forward showing off his own on a chain around his neck, "When Jack was presumed dead I received his belongings. These were his Mother's so I used them to purpose."

Adrien's mandibles twitched again, "Well, congratulations are in order then. I'm glad someone got good use out of them."

A Turian's voice came through the radio on Adrien's armor, "Approaching Omega-4 Relay's exit. Everyone stand by. Reaper IFF activated. Signal acknowledged."

Another Turian replied, "Captain Victus? The drive core just lit up it's energy signature like a Fallalha tree!"

EDI must've been connected to their bridge because he could hear her voice through the radio, "I am detecting your drive core's electrical charge is nearing critical levels. You should drop a non critical system to conserve power."

Adrien was about to give an order through the radio when Tarquin belowed, "Lower the shield, they won't be expecting us coming anyway."

Victus gritted his teeth clearly wanting to scream it was a bad idea to lower the shields but, he had no power over decision making anymore. Jack could relate to that feeling having been under Cerberus' thumb and now the Turians. He also had to agree that disabling the defensive shields now was literally the worst system to turn off. What if the Collector dreadnought was sitting at the exit point to the Relay just waiting to fire at them? From his experience, shields wouldn't protect the ship for long against Collector weaponry but it was better than nothing. Unfortunately, Tarquin wouldn't listen to him because he thought he was a terrorist, nor his father for helping him. He just had to hope they all didn't die the moment they exited FTL.

The first Turian answered with, "Rerouting now! Brace for deceleration."

Even though they were on the Normandy with it's own gravitational mass thanks to their own drive core, they still felt the jolt as the Turian ship exited FTL. Jack hoped for the best given the circumstances but, heard a sickening smash all around them. His eyes widened seeing the cargo hold's flooring start to rip apart. The shields would've protected them from whatever pieces of metal were flying at the ship, saying I told you so seemed extremely petty in the moment though. His thoughts quickly turned back to the immediate situation as the floor kept getting torn to shreds closer and closer to the Normandy. He was about to say something to show his concern when the Normandy started falling out of the Turian ship.

Joker snapped into action grabbing the controls as quickly as he could, "Oh, shit! Tali, turn on the drive core. Now!"

Tali answered him sounding confused, "My sensors are reading we're still on the Turian ship. If I-"

Jack interrupted her seeing they were going to crash into debris, "Just do it Tali!"

He couldn't believe after all his hard work with Cerberus that they were going to die from crashing into a chunk of space metal. Jack tensed grabbing the back of Joker's chair as if that would somehow help them survive the crash. At the last possible moment, the power to the Normandy's engines were activated and he was able to pitch the ship away from slamming into debris. Truth be told, survival wasn't a huge accomplishment right now but Jack let out a breath he had been holding. The ship made a one hundred and eighty degree turn to regroup with the Turian ship. They were surrounded by similar pieces of debris. Some of the ships seemed to be powered by solar panels along the wings with a single central pod while others were large triangular shaped dreadnoughts. How many ships had attempted to make this jump through the generations without the Reaper IFF? Seeing all of the carnage put The Illusive Man's goodbye into a better perspective.

Adrien and Tarquin said the same thing at once, "Give me a status report!"

A Turian replied on the radio seemingly not bothered by the two Victus' giving them a command, "We lost the cargo hold but, since we were at our battlestations no lives were lost. I wouldn't count on engineering being able to restore shields to the rest of the ship with that large of a hull breach. Orders sirs?"

To his surprise, Tarquin said, "This is your show Shepard. Where do you want us?"

Jack raised an eyebrow at Adrien who muted his radio, "The ninth platoon honors it's commitments. Don't expect him to buy you anything as congratulations when we make it through this but, I promise he'll see it to the end."

Leng tilted his head to the side as if to mock him, "When it's convenient to honor them anyways."

He sighed but gave the go ahead for Adrien to open the channel back up, "We keep going as planned. EDI, scan around our location and find out where the Collectors are."

EDI's voice came from the Normandy's intercom system as well as echoed in Adrien's radio, "Acknowledged Shepard, it could take a few minutes."

Joker gave them all a wide smile, "Are we going to point out I saved us from being flattened like a pancake? Seriously, that was too close."

Kal gently clapped him on the shoulder, "You did good. Make sure we don't crash into anything else though."

Miranda's gaze was bouncing around all of the debris in the hopes of finding the Collector base by herself, "These must be all the ships that tried to make it through the Omega-4 Relay. Some look... ancient."

Leng stroked his chin lost in thought, "Explains why all of our probes never responded after going through. I wonder how many cycles have tried to come here before us.."

Adrien raised an browplate out of curiosity, "Cycles...?"

Jack became more dismissive then he meant to be, "Something to do with the Reapers and how they operate. Talk to a Prothean archaeologist when we get back, hopefully they've learned more by now."

Thankfully, EDI came through to cut the conversation short, "I have detected an energy signature almost identical to the one Sovereign's shell used near the edge of the accretion disk past the debris field."

Jack took a deep breath readying himself, "Has to be the Collector base. Take us in for a closer look Joker. Nice and easy. Tarquin, you might want to keep the dreadnought back until we know what we're dealing with."

Tarquin of course ignored him, "I won't be caught off guard again, launch all fighters."

Joker didn't say a word as they made their way through the twisted hunks of metal and other ship parts. He was fascinated by all the different cultures that must've existed for millions of years to make this kind of protective barrier of junk. They passed many different large ships with the Normandy just barely able to fit through the cracks. It was hard not to miss a piece of junk with a red bird like creature with three presumedly letters underneath it. Something just seemed so Human about the design. Kal's pacing distracted him from his thoughts. The fact that the ship was forced to travel so slowly had to be weighing on Kal who had to know time wasn't on their side. At any moment the Collectors could kill Zero and for Kal at least, would make this mission meaningless. Come to think of it, where were the Collectors? Had they really left their base unguarded? That just begged the question, how important to them was it really?

EDI surprised them all and unintentionally answered his own silent questions, "Careful Jeff, we have company. I count six small craft coming straight for us."

Joker gave them all a worried expression, "Taking evasive maneuvers. You all might want to sit down, it's gonna be a bumpy ride."

Before he could even begin to take his advice, Jack saw smaller versions of the Collector dreadnought's weapon flying past the cockpits viewport. He trusted Joker's flying capability any day of the week but, it had to be a challenge even for him to avoid the ship's shooting at them as well as dodging pieces of space junk. Without having any piloting ability at all Jack could still tell they were making risky maneuvers. One second they were spinning through an old vessel's truly massive engine port and the next, they were playing chicken with several of the small, orb like, rocky Collector ships. As always, Garrus was a fantastic shot killing multiple ships with the Normandy's guns but, he missed one on the last pass.

Joker had a frustrated tone, "Now they’re just pissing me off! Come on Garrus, your going to have to do better than that."

Garrus was just as angry, "If you'd give me a halfway decent shot I'd have them all by now."

A narrow, long, single pilot, Turian fighter squad flew by them taking out the remaining ships, "No need to panic Normandy, the ninth platoon has you covered."

Tarquin cut in on the comm, "Our ship has used a kinetic round to get past the debris field. No way we're losing you."

He wanted to say something sarcastic but Miranda spoke before he had the chance, "There it is, the Collector base..... Not exactly what I expected to be honest."

Jack followed her gaze towards the heart of the safe zone and frowned, he had to agree with her. From what Sovereign had told them on Horizon about a forge, he had been expecting a kind of shipyard like the one that used to be on Luna. Instead, he was looking at a singular cylindrical tower the size of Arcturus Station, certainly not something intimidating to fit the Reaper name. Getting a closer look at it, Jack could've sworn he saw what had to be a satellite at the top of the tower. What the hell was this place? Because after one brief look around Jack was positive this wasn't a forge to produce more Reapers. What if anything did a VI have to gain by lying to them? Was there a forge somewhere else out in the galaxy? Or had the Reapers creators lied about such a device so their VI's wouldn't be afraid of death?

Saren marched forward to stand beside him, "Something's wrong here Shepard, this isn't what Sovereign claimed would be here."

Leng folded his arms over his chest, "You believed anything that thing told you? Maybe some of the Shepard's traditional stupidity is rubbing off on you Saren."

Kal ignored him sounding annoyed, "It doesn't matter what tech it actually is, we know it's part of the Collectors plan and our crew is inside. We have to hit them now."

He still couldn't shake off the feeling Saren was right and EDI wasn't helping, "Shepard, I originally believed the forge was at the center of the Omega-4 Relay based on Sovereign's past comments, however, this structure appears to be codenamed 'The Satellite' in Collector files."

Adrien asked the next obvious question for everyone, "Do we know if it's sending or receiving information? And from what location?"

EDI's orb appeared in the center of the cockpit, "Since the satellite has no power coming to it, I can only speculate it's purpose. If the Collectors are kidnapping colonists to power it though, that would suggest they want to send or receive a signal from an extremely distant location. For example, another galaxy."

Tarquin came over the radio, "I could aim our ships central canon at the thing and we can all go home."

That was what woke Jack up from a war in his mind, "No! We still have crew members aboard that could still be alive. Joker, see if you can find a place to land without drawing too much more attention."

Miranda bit her lower lip nervously, "Too late for that. Looks like they’re sending out an old friend to greet us."

He followed her gaze again only to realize she was right. The Collector dreadnought was here and coming right at them. He hoped the Turian forces were going to make up the difference for not having Zero with them this time. Only one side was going to come out alive since all of them had nowhere to run.


	69. Chapter 68: Touch Down

The Collector dreadnought wasted no time, immediately firing on the Normandy with the main gun they knew too well. Jack knew the only reason they had come out on top in their battle on Horizon was Zero's quick thinking so he was worried about their chances. However, Joker seemed to be in his element, spinning the Normandy at odd angles to give Garrus a shot with the Normandy's main cannon. Jack watched with growing fear and trepedation as each of Garrus' hits didn't seem to be effecting the rocky hull of the Collector ship at all like last time. Yes, Zero had been a huge part of their success but, he assumed the ship's gun would've done even a little damage without her. Was it possible that the Collectors could have upgraded their organic hull in the few weeks since their last encounter? He didn't want to believe it was feasible with a ship that size, Jack learned not to doubt the Reapers capabilities though.

Tarquin's voice came over the radio, "Should I even bother sending my fighters out there or just hit it with the rest of my kinetic rounds Shepard? Otherwise I'm going to bring them back to the ship in case they have more patrol craft in the air."

Jack knew more ships in the fight would help keep the heat off Joker but not much else, "Small ships aren't going to help us now. Hit it with the big guns as soon as you can!"

Joker was sending the ship towards the top inner edge of the debris field envelope, "No rush or anything, we're just playing the worst game of pin the Elcor I think I've ever seen. You know, the type that if the Elcor loses he'll get melted down and sent flying into space."

Tarquin sounded frustrated, "What the hell is your pilot going on about now Shepard.....?"

Jack couldn't help but chuckle despite how dire the situation was, "He likes to make jokes, you'll get used to it."

Joker turned his head around again to look at them all, "Everyone hang on to something, this is going to get rough. Tarquin, Garrus, get ready to shoot when I say so."

He had a feeling Joker was planning something he wouldn't have approved and his suspicions were only confirmed when the Normandy turned around to face the Collector ship. At first, Jack just thought he was going to fly the ship as fast as he could in the other direction past the dreadnought, it soon became clear he was instead flying straight towards it's main gun. On the surface to someone like Adrien, it would probably appear as though Joker was suicidal, he trusted him more than that. As the Normandy made hard turns twisting around the main laser while it came at them, Jack realized Joker wanted to send all of their ammo down it's throat as it was firing. In theory, the ship would have a cascading failure across all systems so Tarquin could pick up the pieces. Then again, this was Reaper tech they were dealing with so, Joker's gamble might not pay off.

When the Normandy was almost to the point he was sure it wouldn't be able to pull away, Joker yelled, "Now boys!"

A rapid succession of blindingly bright lights from the explosions made Jack close his eyes sharply. The Collectors had taken the bait and had been consistently firing at them sending even their advanced drive cores to the limit, adding the heat from the Normandy's weapon system had to push it over the edge. There was a selfish part of Jack that wished Joker would've come up with this plan on Horizon but, then they would have never have found this place and Sovereign could complete whatever plan he had been doing this whole time. His relief that the dreadnought was finally destroyed quickly became replaced with the realization that the Normandy was currently right underneath the exploding ship. Surely, debris flying off of the ship would hit them right? They definitely weren't out of the woods yet.

Blaring alarm sounds filled the Normandy's cabin with Joker expressing just as much concern, "Mass Effect shield generators are offline! EDI, Tali...? Somebody, give me something here!"

A bang sending all of them in the air made Tali say, "We just lost engine four, ripped clean off from debris! I have to shut down the drive core now to prevent all of our eezo from leaking out."

Joker gritted his teeth, "Shit, that station's gravity is going to pull us into it... Hang on!"

EDI's orb flashed to all of them, "I think Jeff is trying to advise everyone to take a seat and strap in, this is going to be a hard landing."

On a regularly operating Normandy, finding a seat near the cockpit would've been a nightmare, with the entire support staff gone it was fairly easy. Kal was gripping his hand in the seat next to him just in case this was the last few minutes of their lives. Exchanging I love you's wasn't necessary in a room full of people and the hand holding was enough to communicate the emotion. Joker was desperately yanking at the controls in the hopes he could lift the ship to the point that they weren't going to get crushed on impact but, it was useless without the power coming from the drive core. He considered trying to organize all of the biotics on the ship to perform the action all at once, they just didn't have the time. Whatever was about to happen was going to be based on luck for how they landed.

It didn't take long for the bottom edges of the Normandy to make contact with the Collector satellite. The impact alone sent their chairs rocking against the hull but, it was immediately apparent they were going to make it. His ears were ringing with the screeching noise of metal grinding on metal as the ship struggled to stop sliding across the surface. The viewport from the cockpit started seeing the edge of the hull before they finally stopped. For just a brief moment, they were safe even though their situation was debatably worse now. There was no way this version of the Normandy was going to fly ever again. At least the Collectors hadn't armed the exteriors with defenses, otherwise they'd be dead right now. Jack was hopeful but not banking on that meaning there were going to be less defenses inside the ship as well.

Jack started unhooking himself from the seat first knowing they had stopped, "Everybody doing okay?"

Joker groaned breathing heavily like he had just ran a marathon, "Ungh... I think I may have broke a rib..... On second thought, all of them."

Leng practically jumped out of his seat as though nothing had just happened, "Your still alive aren't you? EDI, can you begin to assess the damage to the Normandy?"

EDI answered seemingly unphased by Leng being the one to ask, "Multiple core systems overloaded during the crash. Restoring operation will take time and manpower we don't have without making concessions."

Jack raised an eyebrow at the ceiling, "Meaning what EDI?"

EDI's orb pivoted back in his direction, "With all due respect to Tali's abilities, I need Legion's speed and processing power to complete necessary repairs effectively. The Normandy will be lost without him."

Tarquin was apparently very eager to jump into the conversation, "Don't worry Shepard, we have enough Kodiak shuttles to get you and your crew out of there."

Jack was extremely torn about what to do here, he had locked Legion up for a reason. What if the Geth just decided to stop repairing the ship because it went against some arbitrary percent it came up with? That could really be the death of any chance he had at freedom, Tarquin wasn't going to just pick him up and drop him back off where he wanted. The only thing taking Tarquin's help guaranteed was that he, Kal, and Zero would end up in a jail cell on Earth. However, The Illusive Man had made it clear this version of the Normandy was his. Did he really want to repair a stealth ship Cerberus would use against the Alliance just for the chance of freedom? It came down to whether or not Jack believed the Reapers would be defeated at the end of this mission. Was it possible that the galaxy needed Rael's solution to kill the Reapers?

Miranda interrupted his train of thought with a defeated shrug, "We all knew this was likely a one-way trip, Turians or not."

Adrien cleared his throat, "My son isn't going to leave any of us behind Ms. Lawson. The Normandy is just a ship, a valuable ship I'll give you that but, just a ship. Your lives are more important."

Miranda just gave him a cool smile, "I appreciate your ability to give good speeches General but, I have no delusions that the ninth platoon wouldn't take the opportunity to leave anyone from Cerberus behind if they have the chance."

Jack took a deep breath knowing he could be making a big mistake, "I’ll do whatever it takes to stop the Collectors, but I plan to live to tell about it. EDI unlock the crew quarters and direct Legion to do whatever you need him to."

As EDI responded he could feel Kal get a little stiff, he was going against their last conversation but Kal knew he had to. "Acknowledged Shepard, we will be ready as soon as possible."

Joker smiled back to them not seeing the tensions between them, "I’m glad your the one in charge instead of Debbie Downer over there. What’s next?"

Jack was trying to come up with that answer himself while trying not to show it, "How long can we estimate until the Collectors find this landing zone?"

EDI stayed quiet for a few seconds making a few calculations, "I do not detect an internal security network like the one on the dreadnought. It is possible the Collectors did not expect anyone to ever reach the base."

Jack looked to each of them trying to reassure himself as well as them, "This isn’t how we planned this mission, but this is where we’re at. We can’t spend our time worrying about whether the Normandy can get us home. We came to stop the Collectors, and that means coming up with a plan to take out this station. Let's get everyone in the briefing room."

He was a little surprised Leng didn't come up with any kind of sarcastic objection but, he stayed silent and so they made their way to the briefing room to regroup with the others. Every second was going to count now that the Collectors inside the satellite at least knew the dreadnought was destroyed and a Turian one was on the way. Would they try and rush whatever the purpose of this place was now that they were here? Did Zero have less time now that they were going to be hammering on the door? It was a few minutes until Mordin, Kasumi, Garrus, Tali, Feron, and Thane came to the room with them. Presumably, Legion was already too busy with the repairs to attend the meeting. It didn't matter anyways, he wasn't needed in this meeting to come up with the plan.

Now that everyone was here, Jack spoke up, "EDI, bring up your scans you received from Sovereign. Let's see what we're dealing with here."

The center of the table lit up revealing a orange glowing blueprints of the satellite. It was a mess of tunnels and seemingly pointless rooms that appeared to lead nowhere. For something like an insect he was sure it made all the sense in the world, for him though it was just confusing. After just a minute though Jack started to see all of the paths went straight to the center of the satellite. That must've been where the transmitter for the satellite had to be, it didn't matter whether or not the device was sending or receiving data. They had to destroy it to make sure Sovereign wasn't able to restart the cycle. To him, nothing else mattered that was why they were here.

EDI highlighted the center core room with a large red target symbol confirming his hunch, "You should be able to overload their critical systems if you get to the main control center here."

Kasumi tapped her chin scanning the building like it was a vault she had something to steal inside, "That means going right to the heart of the station." She frowned pointing to the room that was a side entrance that looked easier to get to admittedly, "Past this massive energy signature...."

Adrien looked between all of them, "Taking out the station is all well and good but, how are we going to get there? Even if the Collectors don't have a state of the art security system, I have no doubt they have a few million Collector soldiers guarding this place, especially if it's important to the Reaper cycle."

Jack had to admit that was an extremely good question without any good solutions. Up until this point, Jack had been hoping they would've been able to sneak inside and do what they had to without raising an alarm. That wasn't an option now that they had literally crashed into the hull after destroying their only exterior protection. His next answer was to tell him they'd use the Turians of the ninth platoon to punch a hole to the core. Even if Tarquin was willing to empty the entire Turian ship, he doubted all of them would be able to put a real dent in the Collector soldiers numbers. Granted, they might have served a decent distraction but, he wasn't willing to ask him to make that kind of sacrifice. The Turians might also be the only way they were getting out of here so he needed them to be alive.

Mordin just began to speak unprompted, "Cybernetic augmentation of Protheans widespread after the last cycle. As Protheans failed, Reapers added tech to compensate. Mental capacity almost gone, replaced by overworked sensory input, transfers. Transmitting data to masters."

Garrus raised a browplate, "So, what your saying is they've been enhanced by tech? Like Saren? How does that help us?"

Mordin shook his head quickly, "No! Not exactly! No glands, replaced by tech. No digestive system, replaced by tech. No soul. Replaced by tech. Whatever they were, gone forever. Think of Rachni. Drones unintelligent. Process information, transfer sensory data to queen. Individuals just smart enough to follow orders. Understand now?"

Jack lifted an eyebrow, "A queen? So you think they operate like a hive mind? We kill the queen and then the rest of them would just die? I trust you Mordin but, that feels awfully convenient." 

Mordin nodded folding his arms over his chest, "Yes. Positive from scientific observation. No self-preservation instinct. Old injuries not healed. No reproduction, just cloning. Technology overriding biology, not augmenting. They are only driven from the technology provided by the Reapers, Sovereign. Once he is defeated the Collectors will follow."

Saren was staring at him closely, "Defeat Sovereign? We don't even know if the remnants of Sovereign are here or in another galaxy. That doesn't help us."

Kasumi tapped at the side entrance, "Who wants to bet that this power signature is what's keeping Sovereign alive? Maybe we could just turn him off? Sounds too easy I know but, you never know."

EDI filled the small moment of silence, "Kal, this side path to the central chamber also appears to have pods linking to the energy signature. If our crew or any of the colonists are still alive, the Collectors are probably holding them in there."

Kal bowed his head focusing on the path to the side chamber, "Thank you EDI, I'll go to the pods first and try to get the crew."

Adrien glanced at him and then Kal, "I'll go with you, your going to need back up if your getting the whole crew to safety."

Leng smirked seemingly knowing something he didn't, "If the representation of Sovereign is in there your going to need more than two people. I'll come too.. If the Commander allows it...?"

A chill ran straight down Jack's spine having a bad feeling about this was why Leng was here. He couldn't have predicted all of the different situations that brought them here but, his confidence just seemed to be suggesting he wanted this as an end goal. Kal was going to go to that chamber whether he said yes or no. And, even though he didn't like this Leng was unfortunately speaking from a logically sound place. Adrien and Kal weren't going to be able to defeat a version of Sovereign on their own. He was going to have to give the ok despite not wanting to, for Kal's sake here. Hopefully all of the beating on the punching bag was going to pay off.

Saren spoke before he could come up with an answer, "I'll go too, I have a beef with Sovereign that I would like to finish."

The sense of relief flooding through Jack would've stunned him two years ago. Saren used to be an enemy, not someone he would've ever trusted to protect the love of his life. Now, after they had shared several missions together and he had seen Saren mourn Nihlus, Jack felt like they had a connection. The fact that Saren had also removed the control chip without Leng knowing making him a perfect mole. If Leng trusted him to follow an order and he betrayed him, it might be enough to kill the assassin once and for all. He couldn't help but give him a shy smile and a tiny nod in thanks while trying to avoid Leng's optical sensor. Saren didn't have to throw him a life saver like that, he jumped in because they did have a complicated relationship, if not a friendship.

Jack was keeping his gaze on the immediate area around the chamber, "Looks like there are two main routes. Might be a good idea to split up to keep the Collectors off balance, then regroup in the central chamber."

Miranda shook her head using her finger to point to the two routes, "No good, both routes are blocked. See these doors? The only way past is to get someone to open them from the other side."

Kasumi's eyebrows furrowed determined to find an answer, "It’s not a fortress; there’s got to be something. Here, maybe we can send someone in through this ventilation shaft. Practically a suicide mission. I volunteer."

Jack bit his lower lip accepting the fact she was the best answer, "The rest of us will break into two teams and fight down each passage. That should draw the Collectors’ attention away from what your doing."

Kal was rubbing his fingers together lost in thought, "We'll be with the second team so we can split from the rest of you to get the crew."

Miranda puffed up to get some courage, "I’ll lead the second fire team, Shepard. We’ll meet up with you on the other side of the doors."

Tarquin came over the radio on Adrien's armor, "It sounds like you have everything planned out. What do you need from the ninth platoon? We aren't going to sit around while you do all of the fighting."

Jack glanced from Adrien to the central chamber, "The biggest bomb you have on the ship, we're going to need it in the core." He stepped away from the rest of the table to address the room in case this was the last time he was going to see any of them again, "I don’t know what we’re going to find in there, but I won’t lie to you. It’s not going to be easy. We’ve lost good people. We may lose more. We don’t know how many the Collectors have stolen, thousands, hundreds of thousands. It’s not important. What matters is this: Not one more. That’s what we can do, here, today. It ends with us. They want to know what we’re made of? I say we show them, on our terms. Let’s bring our people home."

Kal kissed him on the side of the cheek whispering, "Don't worry about me, I'll see you on the other side."

Leng turned to go but tilted his head back to him, "I guess the Victus' aren't the only ones that can give good speeches.."

The room started to disperse leaving him alone with Tali, Garrus and Mordin. He forced a smile, "Looks like we're helping Kasumi..."


	70. Chapter 69: Cycle's True End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Night King - Ramin Djawadi for about the bottom middle of the chapter.

Jack stepped out of the Normandy's airlock onto the hull of the Collector satellite with his heart pumping. This was it, the moment they had fought so hard for was finally here and yet he didn't know if they were going to be able to pull it off. So many aspects of the mission not only required everyone else to be on their A game but, they were also going to have to rely on luck. Since he was arguably the most unlucky man in the galaxy up until now he didn't have a huge degree of confidence on his own. Thankfully, he wasn't alone with Tali and Garrus following him as loyally as ever, if not standing notably closer together, and Mordin was with him too. If anyone could pull off dropping a nuclear bomb in the middle of a Reaper structure it was the people behind him. All they had to do was get in, drop the bomb, and then get back out it was going to be easy.

Even though Jack was as sure in his team as he could get, the unknowns of the mission were knawing at him. First and foremost, why did Kai Leng volunteer to help Kal rescue the crew? Was it just because a vast majority of them were Cerberus personnel and so he felt an organizational duty to save them? While that possibility would've calmed his nerves down a little, Leng wasn't that kind of person. On Luna and Illium the assassin abandoned his Phantom Knights to get the job done, plus, he might see the crew as tainted for working with him and a bunch of aliens. It sure as hell wasn't because he cared about Zero or Kal's well being like Saren and he assumed Adrien so, why? The answers he was coming up with all worried him for Kal's safety but, his cyar'ika wasn't an idiot. He had spent most of the ten hours of travel time getting here on training to kill Leng, and he was surrounded by people that would protect him for one reason or another. As the two teams began to separate, Miranda gave him a subtle nod.

While they were waiting on Tarquin to show up with the bomb, Garrus asked, "How are you feeling?" 

He was about to respond when Tali replied, "Other than scared out of my mind? Fine. achoo.. Ahem, why wouldn't I be?"

Garrus shifted before continuing, "Well, I know handling a nuclear bomb probably isn't what you'd call having a good day. Especially after Virmire."

The reference must've stung her, if he was in her position it would have anyways. Tali and Kaidan were just in the middle of a blossoming romance when he sacrificed himself to set off the nuke on Virmire. His decision to rush head long to Virmire before finding out Jacob was the Cerberus spy probably saved the galaxy from Sovereign continuing the cycle on the first go around but, Kaidan was the cost. He was sure Garrus meant well, judging by her sneeze they had finally taken the next step in their own relationship, bringing Virmire up however might not have been the best way to go about checking up on her. The Kodiak shuttle was on its way but he wished Tarquin would pick up the pace, he could already hear gunfire going off from the distraction team inside.

Tali coughed tapping on one foot appearing as impatient as he was, "I'm not going to have to come up with a makeshift trigger this time so we're fine."

Garrus put his hand on her shoulder, "I'm right here if your not fine."

Tali patted his hand gently before moving away from him, "I know, don't worry about me. Just watch my six."

Mordin always had to jump in the most awkward moments of a conversation, "Most likely experiencing first time allergic reaction to Turian DNA. Hives. Rashes. Itching sensations. Intense sinus pressure and leaking. Just the tip of the iceberg for symptoms. Probably shouldn't be 'right here' for the next few weeks."

Jack was doing his very best not to laugh knowing it would've been extremely inappropriate, "Thanks for the advice Mordin but we need to focus on the mission. Kasumi, are you ready?"

Kasumi had a teasing tone, "Ready to hear all the latest gossip? Of course.." She trailed off for a moment giving them all a smirk under her hood, "Yes I'm ready Shep, this isn't the first dangerous vent I'll be crawling into. You worry too much."

His impatience only grew as the sounds of gunfire were getting louder from the inside of the satellite, to the point that Jack was considering going in without Tarquin to make him keep up. Luckily, the Kodiak landed and a squad of Turians poured out to secure the area. Despite Adrien saying the ninth platoon would keep their words, he had assumed Tarquin would've only done the least amount possible to technically follow the platoon's legacy. From Tarquin's perspective, Jack was just a terrorist who dragged him along on one of the most dangerous missions in his life. Yet, he was here with a large squad of his men carrying a nuclear bomb in their hands, Turians of all sorts honored duty above everything else. Jack was surprised that the bomb was so much smaller then the ones the Salarian used on Virmire. It could practically fit between a singular Turian's arms. Was that device going to have enough power to destroy the facility?

Tarquin tilted his head marching past his men towards the door, "Did you really wait for me to get started? Let's go."

Jack followed him and motioned the rest of his team to do the same, "We didn't want reinforcements to circle around us and trap our teams apart. It wouldn't have helped us to get to the center without the bomb."

Tarquin took position on one side of the airlock to the satellite, "Thanks for the consideration but, we can handle ourselves. How do you think we got into the Urdnot compound? It wasn't because of your team I can tell you that."

The door opened without warning revealing four Collectors who obviously didn't know they were there, probably attempting to flank the other team. Both squads opened fire on the Collectors filling them with bullets before entering the inner airlock. If Mordin's theory about the Collectors being a hive mind was true, the rest of them inside would now know a second team existed. Hopefully, that meant the pressure would be taken off of the second team and Kal. Jack wondered if the Turian squad was actually as good as they believed, or if Tarquin was just overconfident. Since he had made a bad call by lowering the shields of his own dreadnought, and performed a mutiny on his father mere hours before the mission, Jack guessed it was the latter. He had to be sure not to put all of his hopes on this team.

Tarquin turned to address his team, "Alright everyone, we have to focus on the mission. One shot, one kill and make sure Lith here gets the bomb to this stations core, nothing else matters."

One of the Turian's in his squad tilted their head, "What if one of us gets into trouble? We aren't supposed to leave anyone behind."

Tarquin sighed bracing against the inner air lock door, "This mission is bigger than our creed. Once we open this door our goal is to set the bomb, our lives are meaningless if the Reapers win today. Understand?"

As Tarquin's entire team nodded, Jack was surprised and relieved for once someone seemingly changed their minds on the Reapers. There was the possibility that he was just humoring Jack to get on his good side so that he could arrest them later but, he had specifically said Reapers and not Collectors. Perhaps the data they had gathered up until now was finally enough proof to convince them he wasn't crazy. The small chance that Tarquin believed him actually gave him hope that the Council could follow suit if things went sideways in the next few minutes. Then again, if the Collectors won today there would be no one left to tell them anything and the galaxy would inevitably fall to another cycle. Determined not to let that happen, Jack pressed the Prothean control key to enter the main facility.

He was immediately greeted by acid weapon blasts from Collectors that he ducked away from. Jack counted at least ten of them this time and they had been fully aware that they were coming in from the other side of the door. Two of the Turians went down in the first barrage but the rest followed him, Garrus, Tali, and Mordin through guns blazing. Kasumi had disappeared in the chaos finding the vent entrance they needed to regroup with the other team for. Some of the Collector soldiers started flying in the air to get above their makeshift cover positions but, Tarquin used a missile pack strapped to his wrist swating them out of the sky. Several of the other Turians in the squad used biotics to yank them out of the air so they could deliver headshots while, Garrus was picking away at reinforcements coming at them from the rear with his sniper. 

In a brief moment of silence running through the halls, Jack called Miranda, "How's your side doing?"

She was breathing hard and sounds of gunfire almost drowned her out on both ends of the comm, "Still alive....getting a little too close to a shut door for my liking though."

Kasumi joined in the call, "I'm working on it, you have no idea how small Collector vents are. You'd think they didn't design them to have people crawling through them." 

Leng's voice sounded irritated, "Just hurry up, we aren't going to survive if we don't keep moving and I don't intend to turn into a puddle tonight."

Out of nowhere, Tarquin shoved him into a wall to avoid a Collector sniper round that would've taken his head clean off. Dealing with Leng's attitude was going to have to wait as they had more company. Jack was going to whip around and return fire when he heard a very loud buzzing, oh no. He had assumed all of the seeker swarms were stationed on the Collector dreadnought and thus killed off, how could he be so foolish? While his group was going to be protected by Mordin's jamming equipment, the Turians that just joined them weren't going to be so lucky. Since Tarquin was the closest to him, Jack grabbed his wrists and spun him around to pin him against the wall. His hope was that if Tarquin was this close to the jammer that it would protect him as well. The other members of his team did something similar but, the other twenty or so Turians Tarquin brought along weren't going to be so lucky.

Jack watched as the massive swarm of seekers flooded the hall and he realized they weren't taking prisoners anymore. He was powerless watching as they used their sheer numbers to pick up Turians and throw them into walls as if they were paper weights. His hand covered Tarquin's mouth to prevent him from screaming as he was watching the carnage all around them. A pang of disgust hit his stomach when the Turians started crying out in pure agony. Thousands of seekers were attacking each Turian over and over again with their stingers intent to kill. That told Jack one thing, the Collectors had enough organic material to complete their purpose right now and were discarding everything else. His heart was hammering as the seconds ticked by knowing they were stuck watching until the seekers were done with their meal.

Eventually the swarm left and a voice he knew all too well reached his ears, "Shepard, I know you still live. You are too late, the cycle will begin once more despite your pitiful attempts to stop us. We are inevitable."

He could see one of the Collectors around the corner was glowing green to signal Sovereign had taken control, "As long as I'm still alive I'm going to fight to not let that happen."

Sovereign spun around to face him, "You are not like the others that have come before you but, you will die all the same. Our vengeance will not be denied."

Jack fired a few bullets at him but, he predictably caught them and sent them hurling back towards him forcing him back into cover. They didn't have time for this with Kal and the rest of Miranda's team most likely trapped on the other side of a door with who knows how many Collectors but, he couldn't just run around Sovereign when he was like this. Garrus attempted to fly in with the jets on his feet to deliver a kick to the jaw only to be caught by biotics and tossed into a wall. Mordin attempted to throw a cryo grenade only for it to be smashed in mid air and it's shards sent flying like dozens of deadly daggers sent flying into the remainder of Tarquin's men. Tali fired her shotgun but, his biotics melted the rounds and sent a fireball back at her that she barely got out of the way of. He had a feeling Sovereign was learning from their tactics.

Tarquin started shooting the Collector from around the corner catching him off guard and killing him, "That was for my men you piece of shit!" He kept firing at the now dead body until his rifle was out of ammo.

Mordin tapped his chin like everything was somehow over now, "Vengeance? New goal of Reapers. Vengeance for who? Creators? No, data suggests Reapers were built billions of years ago. We couldn't have possibly slighted creators. Malfunction?-"

Jack interrupted him with a shout, "We can worry about that later Mordin. Right now we need to open that door!"

Tarquin slowly picked up the bomb and offered it to Tali, "Your the only engineer left. When the time comes just type in the timer once we get to the core and we can get the hell out of here."

He was about to ask Miranda how she was doing again when the ground started to shake and he almost tripped over from his run, "EDI, what the hell just happened?"

EDI's voice was loud in his ear because of the shaking was getting stronger, "It appears as though the satellite has activated. If a Collector is near a control panel they will be able to send or receive any signal. I will monitor the satellite to see where it is positioning itself."

Jack's heart thundered in his chest realizing this was what Sovereign meant by being too late. If that satellite sent out it's signal, the cycle would begin again, "Everyone move!" 

Not wasting valuable seconds to help Garrus get to his feet, Jack rushed to the door where Kasumi was already tapping away at the controls. He soon discovered all of the interior door buttons were made for Protheans and so, Kasumi had been running blind. Jack pushed past her only to have to dodge a barrage of people and a stampede of the second team rushing through the door. His heart skipped a beat not seeing Kal in the immediate crowd but, he saw his husband helping Adrien carry Thane through the door. Giving them a quick look, Jack saw the Drell took a bad hit to the leg. Due to the fact that he could see a section of ankle bone, it was obvious the Collectors got a lucky shot in.

He closed the door as soon as they were through and turned around, "EDI, tell me what's happening."

The AI didn't miss a beat, "From my current calculations, the satellite appears to be aiming for somewhere in Batarian space. However, given the power they have gathered here, I have to assume that isn't their primary target."

Jack bit his lower lip, why Batarian space? "How long do I have to get to the core?"

His gut chilled when she responded with, "Ten minutes."

Jack started moving in the direction of the core, "You heard her, we gotta move!"

To his surprise, Miranda spoke up stopping him from leaving, "What about Thane? He took a bad hit to protect me, we can't leave him."

Thane was clutching his pistol sitting on the floor, "I'll hold the rear, keep them away as long as I can."

Miranda glared down at him with a surprising amount of care, "That's suicide and you know it."

Feron touched her shoulder gently to calm her down, "It's what he wants Miranda."

Usually Jack would've felt that was extremely cold talking about their own father but, right now they needed to get going. Unfortunately, Miranda wasn't letting it go, "Jack, we can't just leave him to these things. I volunteer to take him back to the ship."

Of all the times she had to grow a conscience, "Fine, go we have to get to the core right now!"

Leng frustratingly interrupted them again, "She has the only linked comm to The Illusive Man. If he has new orders we need her to transmit them."

It was a bullshit argument given the fact he was sure that he had a comm to Cerberus High Command himself and EDI could talk to them as well. Jack didn't have any time to call him out on it though, they had mere minutes before Sovereign won. Did they just forget what was the most important thing to the galaxy right now? He knew he was being too harsh when Thane's life was hanging in the balance but, people were going to die. Why would Miranda insist on saving Thane? Feron wasn't even telling his father goodbye to his father so she certainly wasn't doing it on his behalf. However, that was the only reason he could come up with as to why Miranda was bringing the mission to a grinding halt. She was at all other times far too professional to let something like this stop the mission.

Jack watched as Kal was already marching down the side corridor obviously looking to find Zero and Kasumi surprisingly disappeared to presumably follow him, "Just figure it out, the rest of you follow me to the core. We have to stop this."

He didn't pay attention to who was following him and just kept running as fast as possible to get to the core room. EDI was flashing a countdown for three minutes until the satellite was ready to transmit four numbers, '2185.' It was the current year, why would that be their message supposedly to the Reapers? After a few seconds of thinking about it, Jack realized it was the way Sovereign was communicating that he was late for the rest of the Reapers. He had to wonder if this had happened before and the Reapers installed this contingency plan due to this. The fact he was still ten yards away the control panel made him worry he was playing right into the cycles hands. Did he have any free will at all?

As he slid around the last corner, Jack could see a large room with a massive Mass Effect drive core and a single terminal in the center of the room. Jack stood back up from his slide and ran in that direction only to see a Collector in the room slowly walking towards the device. The glowing green light around the Collector made him run faster, he wouldn't be able to shoot him because he would catch the bullets and send them back. He could've sworn that Sovereign was giving him a crooked sneer as if taunting him with the knowledge he wasn't going to be able to catch him on time. Sovereign was even raising his hand painfully slow to push back down on the terminal further taunting him. A sniper shot rang out whizzing past Jack's ear only to pierce the Collector's upper right eye. Sovereign fell sideways with his hand sliding down the side of the computer, he was dead.

Garrus cheered from behind them as he fell to his knees flooded with relief, "Wooh! Take that! Ha... wait... Did I do it...?"

EDI's voice only further made Jack feel the happiest he had been in a long time, "As long as no one else activates that device, yes Mr. Vakarian, it appears you have stopped Sovereign from restarting the cycle."

Jack clapped Garrus on the shoulder with a huge grin, "Yeah, you did it. Shit, alright everybody let's set this bomb and go home before more Collectors arrive to push that button."

Tali stepped past them carrying the bomb towards the drive core, "It won't take long for me to get this ready to go."

EDI's words made him just a little more anxious, "Shepard, while this facility isn't the forge I'm seeing blueprint designs...for a Reaper. This facility seems to have a large amount of knowledge about the Reapers that even the Collector dreadnought didn't possess. It might be a good idea to download copies of the data before you leave."

Jack absorbed what she was saying but, disagreed on the simple fact that this was over. The Reapers weren't going to be able to return now that no one was going to send them the date. It was like the weight of the entire galaxy had been lifted from his shoulders, he didn't have to worry about the ancient evil any longer. He knew that didn't mean all of his problems were gone, Tarquin still wanted to arrest him for everything he had done and the Terminus was still at war with the Alliance. Those problems seemed far away because he had just prevented a galactic extinction. With that in mind, he didn't need to know about the Reapers and Cerberus certainly didn't need to know any of that. His imagination ran wild with the possibility that Cerberus' could've built Reapers for their own twisted mission.

He shook his head even though EDI wasn't there to see him, "No, we don't need it now that the Reapers aren't coming back. In a few minutes this is all going to be over."

Miranda sounded hesitant when she spoke beside him, "The Illusive Man's calling from his headquarters... Patching it through."

The Illusive Man appeared wearing his typical business suit, "Shepard, EDI has informed me of the situation, congratulations. I want you to download the data in that base."

Jack's gaze narrowed at the man in defiance, "So you can use a Reaper for your own racism? I don't think so."

The Illusive Man took a calm, casual puff of his cigarette, "My goal is to save Humanity from the Reapers, at any cost. I've never hidden that from you. This is our chance, Shepard, they have a blueprint to build a Reaper. That knowledge, that framework, could save us."

Jack stormed up to the hologram glaring at him, "You don't need to save us from anyone anymore. I've won, this was how Sovereign was going to restart the cycle and I stopped it. It's over."

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head curiously, "You honestly believe that to be true? Two years ago you thought destroying Sovereign was the end of it and yet...here we are."

Mordin stepped to stand beside Jack, "It's not likely Sovereign had a plan c. Every cycle before now has ended far before now. Reapers don't seem to have the adaptability to come back from this."

A puff of virtual smoke met their face, "Should we really be taking that kind of risk Doctor? Our best chance against the Reapers is to turn their own resources against them. They were working directly with the Collectors. Who knows what information is buried in there? What if we can understand their origins and use that to our advantage?"

Jack was stubbornly defiant standing in front of the terminal even though he wasn't really here to touch it, "That knowledge won't win a supposed war. I'm going to send this place sky high and we won't have to deal with this any longer."

The Illusive Man was starting to get frustrated, "Don't let idealism, or your own need for this to be 'over' blind you. Using the base to its fullest potential is the best way to fulfill ours. This base is a gift. We can't just destroy it."

Tarquin joined into the conversation watching Tali set the timer for three minutes, "You have not really defeated the enemy if you adopt their methods. How can you pretend to be better than the rest of us if you use this base?"

He had a dismissive tone ignoring him, "An alien can't appreciate the risk this represents for Humanity. Leadership means making hard moral sacrifices. You know that better than anyone, Shepard. Look at what you've accomplished without the Alliance. You wouldn't be here if you didn't decide Cerberus was Humanities best chance. Trust me on this, I'm only looking ahead."

Jack felt like he was going to scream, "They kidnapped people, turned them into something horrible to power this satellite. Nothing stored here is useful to anyone, but especially not to you."

He kept his calm despite the argument seemingly knowing he was right, "Imagine how many lives could be saved if we keep this base intact and use its knowledge to thwart the Reapers. Imagine the lives that will be lost if we don't. Strength for Cerberus is strength for every Human. Cerberus is Humanity. I didn't discard you in that cryopod because I knew your value. Don't be so quick to discard this facility. Think of the potential."

Jack turned away and gave Tali a subtle to start the process, "I have thought about it enough, it's over. In three minutes I'm going to blow up this base and save the galaxy from the Reapers. Your completely ruthless. The next thing I know, you'll be wanting to grow your own Reaper. If they come back, we'll fight and win without it. I won't let fear compromise who I am."

He stiffened starting to turn around to step out of the camera, "It's not that easy, Shepard. We needed each other... Your ideals have cost us more than you can imagine. Cerberus will be ready to face the Reapers. Miranda, Feron, kill them and download the data before returning to the base."

Jack tensed getting ready for a fight as The Illusive Man disappeared into Miranda's omni tool. Maybe he had a point, what if the Reapers came back by other means and they didn't have that intel? If Rael hadn't of come up with a way to stop them on his own, Jack may have been willing to listen to The Illusive Man more but he had another way out. One that didn't give Cerberus almost unlimited power. The ball was in Miranda and Feron's court on what they were going to do within the next three minutes. He actually suspected Feron was going to follow orders first even though he was working for the Alliance. The Drell needed to gain favor if he was going to kill The Illusive Man one of these days.

Just as they were going to pounce, Kasumi came flying through the wall, "Shit, we need help Shepard. I think I just met the real Sovereign as he was waking up... He needs coffee."

This was the last thing he needed as the time was counting down to a nuclear explosion.


	71. Chapter 70: Inconvenient Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know another song but it fits haha. Let me know if you'd rather I leave them out. 
> 
> I got five on it (Tethered mix from US) - Michael Abels, Luniz, & Michael Marshall for the fight scene.

Kal kept walking knowing he didn't have time to help Jack with the Thane situation. With their backs truly against the wall, the Collectors were surely going to accelerate their plans for Zero and he couldn't let that happen. He hadn't come all this way just to lose her to the Collectors when he was this close to saving her. To his surprise, Kai Leng wasn't following him immediately to stay in the argument, maybe his optical sensor couldn't see Kal leaving. The other possibility was that Kal had nothing to do with why Leng was here but, he found that unlikely. Leng seemed far too deliberate with his actions to volunteer to do one thing and then do the opposite when they got to the mission. Luckily, Saren of all people was still walking by his side searching for threats from more Collectors. If Jack told him two years ago he was going to have to rely on the terrorist who tried to kill the entire galaxy for help, he would've thought his cyar'ika snapped under pressure. Yet, here he was, doing exactly that.

Saren was tense as he shot a Collector down the hall who had just started glowing green, "I hope your prepared for when we most likely find the girl dead."

His words stung like a gut punch to Kal. Saren was of course right that it was a possibility, after everything they went through, he would find her on a table like an experiment the Collectors discarded when the fighting started. Hell, it was also just as possible that EDI had been wrong from the beginning and Zero was dead the moment she had been taken off of the Normandy. Kal couldn't force himself to believe that outcome though, at least not yet. EDI had never been wrong before so, he had no reason to think that was going to start now. Plus, Zero was the closest person he was ever going to have to a daughter, if he gave up on her now what did that say about him as a parent? Saren was most certainly just preparing him for the worst case scenario but, he didn't need to hear it. For the past ten hours Kal's mind came up with plenty on his own.

All of the sudden, the ground was shaking again and much more violently this time. The satellite must've activated and was preparing to send or receive whatever signal it was designed to. A part of him knew he should be with Jack right now to make sure that the Collectors didn't get to follow through on their plans, Zero would never be safe if that happened. However, leaving her to die to whatever experiments they had planned for her made him want to be sick. He knew the exact feeling of being at the mercy of a cruel scientist not knowing if you were going to wake up after the next test, or if anyone cared about you enough to help. Besides, Jack had the entire rest of the crew and the Turians to help him out, Kal wasn't going to be able to make up the difference in this scenario.

He chose to ignore the words and instead, shoot another Collector straggler before looking around, "Where's Adrien...?"

Leng appeared from the other end of the hall slowly approaching them, "He volunteered to take the frog back to his ship for medical treatment. It looks like it's just us now."

The smirk gave him chills but, another voice came out of nowhere. "Not quite," Kasumi revealed herself standing right next to them, "I wasn't going to miss the real fireworks show tonight."

She was obviously referring to the fact that he and Leng were going to go to blows by the end of the night. Taking in all the comments and remarks that got them to this moment, it just seemed inevitable the assassin was going to try and kill him. He realized that while Kasumi was being flippant, as was her usual state, she was also here for a much more noble reason. Kasumi still felt like she was responsible for Archangel's eventual collapse since she didn't stay and listen to what the three mercenary leaders had been planning. He personally blamed Cora, and then himself for not seeing the signs in Erash but, she definitely didn't need to know that right now. This was how she felt like she was going to atone for that mistake and Kal had no reason to stop her.

Kal positioned himself on the door to the next room and gave her a nod, "Alright, we get the crew and then we leave with the others. That's the plan, no heroics, no curiosity."

Without waiting for confirmation, Kal kicked down the door watching EDI's ten minute timer tick down quickly. Even though he just said no curiosity, the sight of this room took his breath away. There had to be millions of green glowing cryopods for as far as the eye could see probably stretching around the entire circumference of the station. Each pod had a small tube underneath it all leading to a pod sitting right next to him that wasn't much bigger than he was. His first thought was, what the hell was this place? Quickly followed by, how the hell was he going to find Zero in one of these millions of pods within the next ten minutes? It was an impossible task for an army, let alone just him and three other people, one of which wanted to kill him. He fell to his knees and wanted to scream at how far he was to finding her.

Having actually listened to his advice, Kasumi went around the corner of the central pod. "Kal! Kal, she's still alive! Help me out here!"

He whipped back up to his feet and ran around the corner only for his adrenaline to spike dramatically. There were even more pods connected to the central one and these had the Normandy crew members inside of them. He could tell it was the crew because he saw Zero's terrified face in one pod and Doctor Chakwas in the next pod to her right. Kal was going to assure them everything was going to be ok when Chakwas started to scream and sink out of view with blood splattering across the viewport. If that wasn't enough, the tubing beneath her pod lit up with a green pulse traveling to the main pod. The pod itself had turned Chakwas into an organic paste before giving it to the central pod, and Zero was trapped inside one that seemed identical to the Doctors.

Kal slammed the back of his shotgun into the viewport while Kasumi's hands were running along the sides looking for a release, "Saren! Find a way to open this from that terminal!"

Saren approached it slower than he would've liked, "Opening her pod will most likely open all of the-"

Kal interrupted him knowing hammering against the glass was doing nothing as he watched her terrified face, "JUST DO IT SAREN!" He knew she didn't have much time left.

Leng had a very smug grin on his face as he sat on the side, "Activation code 227: You will stand back and do nothing Saren. Let's watch him squirm as the little girl dies.. Then he'll get to know how I felt on Klendagon."

Kal's desperation kicked in as he realized what was happening, Leng was using the control chip inside Saren's head to stop him from activating the terminal. He wouldn't be able to do anything to free her since he couldn't understand the Prothean language. What was worse was that Jack was too busy dealing with ending the cycle to talk him through the Prothean alphabet in the next thirty seconds. He was going to have to watch helplessly as Zero met the same fate as Chakwas and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Desperation turned into a primal fury as he planned on charging Leng right now. Maybe if he could kill the di'kut fast enough, Saren would come back to his senses and be able to free Zero in time.

Saren had a strange glance on his face like he suddenly understood something, "You think Adrien was...? Oh Harper, you are clever." He lifted something between two fingers, it was the bloody control chip. "I'm free of your orders and can do whatever I want." His talon tapped the release button. 

Kal couldn't process either of their surprise before the pod opened and he had to catch a terrified Zero, "Oh.. Oh Keelah, I got you."

Zero was crying in a mix of fear and relief, "You asshole... You came all the way here to save me?! What the fuck were you thinking?"

Kal squeezed her in a hug getting lost to the world for just a few seconds, "Well, saving the galaxy was a bonus but, of course I did...." His helmet ran along the side of her cheek to try and comfort her, "I love you." 

Her arms clung to him tightly before she suddenly shouted, "Look out!"

He had to duck out of the way to avoid Saren who was being tossed at him from Leng's biotics in his sword. Kal had to make a choice right now, he could try to outrun the assassin but he was still carrying her. There was no way he would be able to get to the ship in time and he wouldn't be able to fight with his hands full. So, Kal put her down and started shooting in Leng's direction to try and kill him. His gut twisted into knots when Leng just put his hand up and a shield deployed around him to stop the bullets. Great, he had upgrades and was taunting him with a sneer approaching Kal like he had cornered an animal. A new timer appeared on his heads up display; three minutes. Just three minutes to kill Leng and get out with Zero.

Leng thrusted his sword forward but, the hatch from the central chamber flung open knocking the swords path out of the way. Kal tensed when a figure stepped through the pod and it made a chill run down his spine. It's skin was a dark greenish grey reminding him of a Quarian on their death bed. The creature had Turian like exoskeleton around his oval head almost as though it was a crown. His two tiny, beedy, green eyes flashed open and he scanned both of them. Kal and Leng weren't attacking each other and slowly stepping away not sure what they were dealing with here. Kasumi suddenly appeared out of stealth and attempted to stab at the things throat. Kal felt his stomach flip flop when the creature caught her hand with a new orange biotic glow before tossing her through the wall towards the main chamber.

The man stepped out of the pod and rolled his neck around, "Primitives, you have defiled this holy place. I will clense your filth from this temple as I enact my final revenge on the masters..."

Kal was going to try and slink away with Zero but, Saren leaped past him to tackle the thing and push it into the main chamber with Jack and the others. The timer was already down to two minutes and fifty seconds and he was still at the same place where they started. Leng was still standing in front of him as if he was trying to decide what to do at this moment. He still wanted revenge against his family for whatever reason but, did he want to survive afterwards? He stayed completely frozen not daring to turn around and put Leng into the blind spot while he watched the others fight what he assumed was an actual Reaper, or one of it's creators. It's biotic power looked like fire as it danced around his friends and loved ones, they needed him right now but, Zero needed him more. Jack could protect himself but as of right now, Zero was vulnerable not even able to walk at this point.

Leng put his hands on his ear, "Feron, it's time. Meet me on the Normandy with the prisoner and we'll return home.." He proceeded to try and swipe at Kal with his sword.

Kal stepped out of the way trying to send a punch, "Really? You want to do this now?!"

Leng took the punch to the face and let the momentum spin him around and he placed his sword casually behind his back, "Let's see how you do when your the one under pressure."

He threw a punch only for Leng to dodge his entire body to the left ninety degrees to taunt him. A second fist swept through the air as Leng ducked underneath it only to hit him with the handle of his sword in the side. Kal stumbled backwards ever so slightly watching his foe stand back up with the sword behind his back again standing perfectly straight. The smile on Leng's face made a shiver run down his spine, he was in his element treating Kal like he was his student that needed instruction on how to kill. Only two minutes and twenty seconds left, what the hell was he going to do to get out of this? In the other room he could see Jack had jumped on the Reapers back while Saren, Garrus, Tali, and Mordin were struggling to get around the biotic flames. None of them were going to be able to help him right now.

Knowing he had to do this on his own, Kal tensed up and sent a kick to his gut. Leng made a three hundred sixty degree spin to dodge away from the kick only to use a quick slash at his other thigh before pivoting back around to his original stance. Since one of Kal's legs were already pushed forward for the kick, he slid to an unintentional split. Kal grunted pushing himself to his feet from raw determination to protect Zero and sent a back handed elbow. The assassin merely took a few steps backwards on his tip toes like a ballet dancer. His blood was starting to boil from how in control Leng obviously thought he was, what happened to the angry raving lunatic he had fought multiple times before? The red timer ticking down past the two minute mark was enough to make Kal speed up his attacks.

However, again and again Leng made some sort of dodge or twist away from an attack only to punish him for the miss with the edge of the blade. The assassin wasn't going for the kill immediately, letting the cold steel taste the edges of his skin over and over again with each punch into the empty air. He was getting a better appreciation for the phrase 'death by a thousand cuts' had a literal meaning and it was getting harder and harder to get back up to his feet. By the sixth or maybe seventh light cut, Kal knew adrenaline and determination not to be like his father were the only things keeping him going. Out of the corner of his eye, Kal could Zero start to glow in anger with biotics still laying on the ground. She seemed to be building up her rage every time he got hit with the sword. His mind racing about a way to get out of here as the clock ticked down to a minute and forty five seconds.

Zero roared with rage and they both turned their heads to see she was standing due to biotics, "I AM TIRED OF YOUR BULLSHIT!"

She sent a biotic wall in his direction but, Leng was actually grinning, "Thanks darling, I was beginning to think you weren't going to give me the opportunity to do this." His sword caught her biotics and used them to throw her into the main room and used the remainder of the energy to throw Kal against the hull of the open pod, "You better hurry up... We don't have much time."

Kal rose back to his feet as fast as he could and ran through the hole Kasumi made looking for Leng. To his far left, he saw Jack and the others really struggling against the Reaper who was floating in the air and sending wave after wave of biotic energy at them they had to avoid. In the middle of the room, Leng was standing at the terminal in the middle of the room with Zero's wrist in one hand. He was dangling her above a hole in the ground probably created by a grenade that went off. How far would that hole go down? Would she survive a fall if Leng let go? She had used a lot of her biotics in the attempt to take Leng down so she probably wouldn't be able to catch herself. A minute and ten seconds was left, would they even be able to get to the ship in time if they started running right now?

Leng swung her wrist around the hole as though she was like a play thing, "I could just let her go but, I'm going to give you a choice. This terminal is designed to send a signal beyond the galaxy to wake up the Reapers. Let them know it's time for the cycle to continue. So, you can stop me from pushing this button and the Reapers will stay away forever, or you can save your 'daughter.' Five seconds."

Zero was giving him a wildly angry expression, "Don't you fucking dare! You let me go. You know what you have to do."

Time in the room just seemed to slow to a halt trying to decide what to do. He had thought he fully understood why Jack did what he did on Torfan in the aftermath of Luna but, now he was completely grasping it. The rational, logical, answer was to grab Leng's right arm and stop him from calling on the Reapers. It was the one thing he and Jack had been working towards for the past two years, and yet he was watching Zero dangle above the hole. He couldn't imagine seeing her smashed on the ground after who knows how long of a fall Leng was priming her for. His father's voice was in his ears telling him that no singular loss was too great for the greater good. Kal wasn't going to be like his father and everyone Zero ever knew who abandoned her for that greater good. He ran as fast as he could and dove to catch Zero's arm as she started to fall.

Zero's expression was one of full rage glaring up at him, "What the absolute burning hell were you thinking?!!!"

Leng shook his head and made a tsk noise, "You'll soon find out that all of the Shepard's are extremely predictable." His hand tapped at the central console once.

The fact they only had forty seconds left filled him with dread, they weren't going to be able to get out of here in time. At the very least he was satisfied Leng was going to die here as well without getting the revenge he so desperately fought for. The ground shook violently making him grip at Zero's hand tighter and a bright white light shot out of the Mass Effect drive core out into space. Leng wasn't lying, Kal was sure that light was the signal activating the Reapers. Another cycle had officially begun, and it was his fault not some villain. Not Sovereign, not an indoctrinated Saren, not even Leng really, he was now the only reason the Reapers were coming.

Leng's boots had daggers suddenly jutting out of them to kick him, "Your going to die here and you failed to save anything."

His yelp of pain from that dagger plunging into his side was drown out from an explosion above them revealing a Turian Kodiak shuttle. Adrien had returned and was going to rescue them. Thirty five seconds was now a lot longer than before if all they had to do was get inside the shuttle. The shuttle fired another blast at the Reaper still standing to fight the rest of Jack's team. Another kick made Kal scream knowing the knife landed in his side, it felt like one of his organs had been hit. His muscles wanted to let go of Zero to relieve some of the tension but he just squeezed tighter. Kal would rather die than let her go, he'd lay himself down on a shuttle track if it meant she or Jack would survive.

An invisible force grabbed Leng's sword hilt from behind making his body spin around and send a slash through the air. At first, Kal thought he and Leng had just been seeing things but, a waterfall of blood slid down the invisible shape of a neck and breasts. Kasumi appeared a few seconds later grasping at her neck which was spilling blood all over her chest and started to fall to her knees. She had tried to sneak behind Leng to save them, it just wasn't fast enough. The fact that he had optical sensors instead of just actual eyes must've given him the advantage to see her even when she was in stealth mode. Even though she was surely going to die, she had a smile on her face. Kasumi had atoned for what she felt was a wrong and was now going to rejoin the love of her life in the afterlife.

A biotic blast sent Leng across the room and Jack was grabbing him by the shoulders, only to carry him and Zero to the shuttle. Neither of them were looking at him understanding what he had done to save her. The shuttle had nearly everyone inside including Legion and Joker who must've left the Normandy to get here. Legion even had their Quarian family blanket tucked away under his shoulder, that was probably Rael's doing knowing the cultural significance of it. Saren was standing at the entrance of the shuttle glowing a biotic shield full of a rage. The Turian had to also be angry with him knowing his own sacrifice the first time on the Citadel was thrown out the window because he prioritized Zero above everything else. Feron and Miranda were also missing but, he just assumed they were going back into their work with Cerberus.

Jack shouted roughly, "Saren get in here NOW! Adrien, get us back to your ship before that bomb goes off!"

He was alive holding Zero up while Jack was making sure they both didn't fall over. Kal should be happy that they were going to be ok but, he knew he was going to have to deal with the aftermath of what just happened. All of the fighting, all of the death to stop the Reapers was for nothing. At any moment, the Reaper invasion could begin and the galaxy was totally unprepared for the horrors that waited them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This definitely may feel like an ending but stay tuned for the epilogue coming this week!


	72. Epilogue: Lazarus Rising

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Present day bit 1: A Lannister Always Pays His Debts - Ramin Djawadi
> 
> Present day bit 2: Watch the world Burn - Hans Zimmer

Feron was struggling with the urge to break down and cry from what he had done. Not only did he abandon Jack and the other members of the Normandy just as that..thing..arrived on the scene, he betrayed what could've potentially been the love of his life in Miranda. Her recent words were echoing in his ears yet again, "Do you know why I trusted you? Why I didn't kill you even though I knew you were really working for the Alliance all along? It was because I knew what you were after. Out of everyone in Cerberus, you were the one person who I could trust not to stab me in the back without me seeing it coming." He had betrayed that trust when Leng ordered him to take her in. Was killing The Illusive Man really worth tossing her aside just after he gained her affection? The best way she could give it out anyway. That kind of question was why the Alliance trained their agents for months to avoid forming attachments with targets, after two and a half years that was easier said than done.

Even if he wanted to change his mind for her, it was too late now. He was piloting the damaged Normandy, which was barely repaired, to Cronos Station for the first time. Seeing the dying star on a hologram had been one thing, seeing it out of the cockpit just made everything more real. A part of him had thought that the office The Illusive Man presented himself in was just a hologram in itself to give him a stronger ego, but it was the truth. All the sacrifices he had made over this period were finally going to pay off, he just had to not get emotional. To not dwell on the fact that Miranda had shown more care towards his father then he had. Feron just needed to focus on the now, the past could come later.

Leng slapped Miranda's face to wake her up, "Come on traitor, we're here."

Miranda groaned probably still suffering from a concussion, "What the hell are you talking about? Where is here exactly?"

Leng bent down so they were at 'eye' level with her since she was strapped into an empty staff chair, "Don't give me that, I know what you've been up to. Looking into things that don't concern you. What do you honestly think the Turians are going to do when they get there? They're only two people."

Miranda gave him an expression of bewilderment, "Have you gone insane?! I can't even understand what your talking about."

Leng turned to him with a shrug and a smirk, "Why don't you remind her of what you caught her doing? You have the best memory out of all of us froggy."

Feron hesitated to not to snap at him for the racist remark and to get any other emotion out of his voice snapping into a memory, "I go to Kai in the cargo hold urgently, 'I was looking through the Cerberus archives curious about Shepard's father when I was side tracked because I noticed several deletions. Take a look at what I found in Miranda's room.' I send a copy of all the Andromeda Initiative information Miranda must have gathered. 'A few days after the original date of deletion, the Turian sisters left to the Viper Nebula and their ship sent a message to the Alliance's high command.'"

She understood immediately what he had done from the look in her eyes while she stared at him. Her expression was full of pain and the realization that she was going to take the fall for something he did. Judging by the fact that Leng had abandoned his personal mission of revenge to make sure she was captured for this deed she supposedly committed, the Andromeda Initiative was extremely important to Cerberus. He was thankful Leng's optical sensor didn't seem to catch subtle movements so that he could give her an apologetic stare. The Illusive Man didn't tolerate traitors if Wilson and Cora were anything to go by. If she really wanted to, Miranda could've outed him as the one to get the data on the Initiative from Kasumi but, she stayed silent. His heart stopped at the realization she was willing to die rather than betray him. Why couldn't he give everything up for her?

The glance she gave Leng was a cool sarcastic smile, "Did you think I ever really cared about Cerberus' mission? I just used you people to save my sister, after that you racist fucks could go to hell."

Even though Feron wished that were true, he knew her for the past two years enough to realize it was more complicated than that. To be clear, he didn't consider her to be the same type of racist as Leng, she wouldn't be sacrificing herself for him if that was the case. However, Miranda believed Humanity needed more power in the galactic community and the Alliance didn't have the spine to fight for it. She had also destroyed the Shellen, jeopardizing the entire Quarian population if they didn't find a new planet to settle on, just because of her anger. Miranda was a complicated person and, it was one of the reasons he had fallen for her. The real reason she was saying that was she knew it would make Leng infuriated and more prone to make mistakes. Despite the probability she was going to die, Miranda was still trying to escape and save her own life without outing him.

Leng thrusted the tip of his sword to the nape of her neck in a speeding flash, "Oh, you are going to regret that when I cut you apart piece by piece. Then I'm going to find the people taking care of your sister and do the same to them. When they're just barely recognizable I'll send the bits to your sister and make sure she has plenty of time to contemplate them before I kill her too."

Feron felt a stab of pain to the chest from the horror spreading across her face but, to her credit, Miranda spat in his face, "You'll never find them even if you spend every waking moment of the rest of your life on that."

He had a feeling Leng was about to strike when a mechanical voice came through the radio, "We are detecting the Normandy is drifting to close to the radiation field. Please readjust course to docking bay 94."

With that declaration, Feron realized he had been paying too much attention to the scene playing out rather than flying the ship. He had taken for granted Joker and EDI, whose AI chip had been mysteriously unplugged when they got here. The nature of the voice also confused him, it wasn't Human but, one of the stereotypical LOKI mech's that Cora was developing for security. Did any Human other than The Illusive Man actually live on this station? What kind of life did the man have if his only interactions with other people were through a hologram device? A fear started to creep into his mind after hearing that voice: what if The Illusive Man never visited this station at all? The holographic technology he had could allow him to transmit himself twice from another location. Was he throwing Miranda away for nothing?

After pushing those doubts out of his mind, Feron twisted the ship back in the right direction, "Roger that docking control, we're on our way. Inform The Illusive Man we will be there shortly."

Leng hoisted Miranda to her feet and dragged her towards the airlock, "Just a few minutes left and then your going to be in a lot of pain for what you've done."

Feron made a split second decision standing up, "I've never been here before so why don't you lead the way and I'll make sure the prisoner doesn't get away? I wouldn't want something to happen because your attention was divided."

Leng turned his head between them for a few seconds and he was worried he had gone too far, "Good idea, I never realized neither of you have never been here before. The Illusive Man only gives his best agents that honor. Follow me."

While he was busy leading the way, Feron deactivated her cuffs and whispered in her ear, "Do you trust me?"

The next words out of her mouth made his knees buckle, "I used to."

He forced himself to push her forward behind Leng knowing he had to focus. Lazarus Station and the old ExoGeni building on the Kithoi Ward of the Citadel prepared him for the maze like halls Leng dragged them through. What he wasn't prepared for was only seeing LOKI mechs all through the halls and in the glass enceased offices. Not a single organic could be seen in any of the rooms they passed making his stomach chill with fear. Cerberus had plenty of loyalists all across the galaxy, why weren't any of them here to protect their leader? One answer seemed obvious, The Illusive Man didn't trust any of his followers enough to provide them with the location of his hideout. A sinking feeling at the back of spine told Feron something was wrong and he should get out. He couldn't though, if The Illusive Man was here he had to kill him.

A strangly familiar Human voice came through the door in front of Leng, "Losing the Collector facility will handicap us going forward. It is a shame Shepard fell back on old habits, we could've used him further."

The Illusive Man responded with a sigh, "He was always too idealistic. We should've known he would turn on us, he was married to a Quarian after all. I had hoped he would see the data's potential to secure Human dominance in the galaxy. Still, he's given us time to address the greater threat."

Leng took the opportunity that the pause provided and pushed himself through the door only to take a knee, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, I've come with two traitors."

Feron froze at the door still holding Miranda's wrist, did Leng just say, 'two traitors?' He was about to defend himself when he looked up to see who was standing in the hologram projector next to a very real The Illusive Man, Oleg Petrovsky.

Three years ago, Arcturus Station:

_o0o_

Feron had applied to the Alliance war effort against the Batarian threat only for it to be over by the time someone got back to him. His Hanar master had released him from their service on the one condition that he would do good for the galaxy. What was more good than to try and stop the enslavement of an entire species? Luckily, the Alliance recruiter informed him that the Drell's unique memory talents would still be useful in any of the wars to come. So, Feron had reported to Earth for training to become an agent of the AIA. He had excelled at the art of deception more than any of the Human trainees. Some of them had been jealous that an alien got all of the top marks instead of them but, most stayed professional and even congratulated him for his skills.

That's what brought him here, to the office of the head to the AIA, Oleg Petrovsky. Apparently, the Alliance general hand picked him for a mission of prime importance to the Alliance. He had been waiting for twenty minutes but, he didn't mind it gave him time to take in the details of the office. It was surprisingly spotless with a back wall covered in real books. That told him Oleg was a traditionalist for having the desire to have a real book in his hand since they had quit producing them decades ago. The sheer amount of them indicated the Petrovsky family had to come from credits to be able to afford all of these books. He was tempted to stand up and look at the pages of a random book only for movement to catch his eye. 

On a small table to the far right was a virtual chess set moved a pawn on it's own. Feron knew these sets had been developed recently with the idea that people could play the game from across the galaxy. Yet again, it was another sign that Oleg came from credits since these sets were expensive. He was surprised to see a photo behind the chess board of who he assumed was Oleg with several Alliance soldiers. Most notably, the now infamous Alec Ryder who had been disgraced for a racist rant on the side of the road, pulled over by CSEC officers. That was years ago, leaving no indication that Oleg approved of what Alec had said but, it was something to keep in mind. Not all Humans were like his friends who accepted him for what he was.

The door opened and a warm voice called from behind him, "Ah Kolyat, I'm sorry I was so late. Admiral Kahoku's celebration party for his work in the Torfan campaign went longer than I expected and I couldn't get away."

Feron winced at the use of his biological name, he had been trying to avoid it for years now, "Kolyat may be my soul name but I go by Feron now."

Oleg had the same smile moving around the desk to his own seat, "I apologize, I haven't had the pleasure to know very many Drell since the Hanar like to keep you all on Rakhana. I hope the wait wasn't too long?"

He shook his head quickly to be polite, "No, I was just admiring your office." Feron motioned to the chess board, "I've always wanted one of those, I have a friend on the Citadel I'd play with all the time."

Oleg stood up and stared at the board, "It can certainly stimulate the mind when you spend most of your days trapped on a space station like this one.." Feron noted he moved his own pawn forward before turning back around, "I'll be honest with you Feron, Admiral Hackett recommended you for this mission but, I want to be sure your comfortable with it first."

Feron shifted in his seat to get himself relaxed, "I'm here to help maintain peace in the galaxy sir, not to be comfortable. If you think I can get the job done then I want to do it."

Oleg grabbed the edge of the chess board behind him calmly and smiled, "I do." The bookcase suddenly fell to the floor revealing a picture of a young Human male sucking on a cigarette, "This is Jack Harper, you may have heard of him in your history class if you were paying close attention."

Feron immediately nodded, "He tried to start another war with the Turians ten years after Relay 314. He failed but escaped from prison two weeks later killing his wife, unborn child and, the Leng's a family that unfortunately happened to be in the same clinic at the time. Him and the Leng's five year old son were never to be seen from again."

Oleg shrugged appearing to be a little amused, "That is the story, unless you believe the XO of the Einstein who just lost her husband and announced she was pregnant two weeks later.. She was too shook to be taken seriously by the way. Anyways, I'm sure your curious as to why I'm bringing up such ancient history," He handed Feron a datapad, "Read this, it was just released last month."

Feron's eyes flashed down to what he was just handed which stated, "Dear concerned members of Humanity,

Humanity has always been curious about our surroundings since the first cave dweller discovered how to start a fire. The earliest nomads were constantly challenging themselves to see what was behind the next mountain, or across the next sea. Throughout our history, mankind as a whole has been focused on discovery of the unknown, even if the definition of unknown was merely about understanding the nature of insect life spans. However, even before discovering the New World, great philosophers and scientists were looking to the stars to answer the bigger questions like, 'Why were we here?' and 'Where did we come from?' While religions would try and answer those questions with vague answers about a divine power, other, smarter individuals among us looked to more tangible explanations that only science could provide.

Even though it took several thousand years, Humans finally reached for the stars to start getting answers. The moon landing was indeed just a first step for a growing interest of the cosmos to the people on Earth. Telescopes became a commonplace household item, and schools educated the importance of discovery and technological advancement. However, for a time the thirst for knowledge to know what was up there stalled, while people were more concerned with material wealth. A new era of space flight and colonial expansion began when the societies on Earth realized that one planet alone could no longer sustain our needs, and in 2069 the first Lunar colony was established. Things moved at a rapid pace after that crowning achievement and others quickly followed suit, grabbing other planets in the Sol system to start living on. These new bases allowed Humans to explore new environments with a fresh sense of wonder and excitement that had been lost after centuries of living on Earth.

This enthusiasm led to the first discovery of our true destiny, ancient alien life had been uncovered in the Martian wastelands. On January 4th, 2076, two miners digging for mineral deposits located a large structure that they knew could not be Human. It was made with a shiny metal that they had never seen before, and the angles making up the structure seemed impossible to modern Human engineering. The archaeological find shook Humanity to it's foundation, suddenly people were aware that we were truly not alone in the universe. Scientists from all over the Sol system gathered on the red planet, like it was a holy site, hoping that this mysterious structure would finally give them answers to their most burning questions. Unfortunately, the site only provided more questions that needed to be addressed immediately. The language was easy enough for experts to decipher in it's written form but, they couldn't directly connect garbled voice recordings to the text which was becoming a problem.

Back on Earth, radical religious communities were starting to rise up and openly protest looking into the alien technology, seeing it as the devil's work. They believed that knowing the truth about these mysterious beings would inevitably destroy their faith and all of our way of life forever. What if the god or gods they had worshipped since the beginning of time were actually just aliens that had mastered space flight before them? It would invalidate the power of the gods and remove the fear some people had to defy religious practices. Tensions only grew worse overtime to the point that many people started fearing an inter-planetary civil war that had the potential to wipe Humanity from the face of the Milky Way. We were at our lowest point in our history. Terrorist attacks became common once again, and secret societies rose in popularity, some even went to the extremes of trying to take down entire governments across the globe to try and stop the progress on Mars.

The growing conflicts back home didn't shake scientists' resolve to learn more, and soon they came up with a name for the beings they were researching, the Protheans. Three years after the Prothean data cache had been found on Mars, scientists realized that most of the data was actually referring to a network of faster than light travel devices we have come to call 'Mass Relays.' According to the data, these devices were capable of transporting ships across entire star systems within hours rather than decades and, as if that miracle wasn't enough, one just happened to be in the Sol system. This stunned the people on Earth and our natural ambition to expand started to take hold of the public conversation. Governments started making new powerful coalitions to try and be the first ones to control travel through our Mass Relay, even though it's exact location hadn't been determined yet. In this time of need, Humanities competitive, determined, and resilient spirit would win the day.

Radical religious movements took full advantage of the growing chaos and on December 3rd, 2079, they successfully assassinated the President of the United States the great Abraham Stolwart. The group boldly tried to throw the guilt of the assassination onto a geopolitical rival of the U.S. but, their involvement was discovered before a global war could begin. However, a smaller war with the terrorists started as a result of the assassination, ending in the cult's ultimate destruction. In the aftermath of the chaos, Humanity decided that if we were going to travel the stars we needed a unified vision to present to the galaxy and thus created the Systems Alliance of Humanity. Some criticized the formation of the new government as a way for the rich and powerful to create a, 'One World Order,' but the majority would see the immediate need for the Alliance soon enough despite it's stagnation in recent decades.

During the time of the Alliance's rise, scientists were able to triangulate data for the Mass Relay in Sol, realizing that the planet of Pluto was actually just a giant ice formation hiding the Relay. It wasn't until 2130 that Pluto was able to be broken apart because of it's distance from Earth, but once the last layer of ice had been removed from the massive Prothean structure, Humans were already volunteering to be the first to travel through it. The honor to lead the journey ultimately landed on Admiral John Grissom, who fought in the earlier civil war against religious radicals in America. He personally led the first wave of around 300,000 Humans out of the Sol system, and into the wider Milky Way galaxy. At first people had mixed feelings about the trip since every world they colonized appeared to have no indication that the Prothean's, or any other alien civilization still existed. This caused many to have the misguided belief that they had been too late and were indeed the last living beings in the universe. It wasn't as if extinctions were unheard of on Earth, and so the general consensus was that some galactic event caused the Protheans to be wiped out making Humanity the last true superpower in the galaxy.

This foolish assumption would cost Humanity greatly when they made first contact with intelligent alien life on the desert planet, Shanxi. As modern day historians tell the story, the colony on Shanxi created a visual beacon for itself when the colonists were celebrating, Alliance Day, on April 16th of 2142 by setting off fireworks. They did not realize that the planet was already inhabited before their arrival. The species living on the planet later identified as the Turians, a militaristic and racist species, saw the fireworks as poorly aimed projectiles towards their own settlements and responded with ruthless force against the colony instead of attempting to understand what was going on. Admiral Grissom was not prepared for the sudden, organized, and methodical attack and died saving as many people as he could from the colony. The death was a huge blow to the Alliance's colonial command structure, and the damage was compounded by the fact that communications back to Earth hadn't been fully implemented yet. Unfortunately, the tragedy on Shanxi led to Admiral Jack Connig Williams taking control of the military for all of the colonies. Unlike Grissom, Williams had no sense for widespread military command and in a desperate act of short sightedness used all of his nuclear weapons on Shanxi thinking that the planet was the only place where Turians lived, he was clearly wrong.

The Turians were an extremely military minded race and saw Williams' actions as an act of war that we are now forced to call the Relay 314 Incident. Make no mistake, this was an act of unprovoked aggression that could have been avoided. The Turian military machine quickly mobilized preparing to entirely exterminate Humanity, while also trying to avoid the watchful eyes of the rest of the more peacefully ignorant and complacent intergalactic community. After several bloody battles on Human controlled colonies, it became clear that the Turians would eventually win with pure brute force and a numbers advantage. However, communications with Earth became a reality and a second wave of Alliance reinforcements arrived on June 8th, 2142 tipping the balance of power to a stalemate. The Turians couldn't hide their actions forever, and eventually their military movements caught the attention of the Citadel Council who became aware of the conflict and demanded an immediate cease fire between the two races. Both sides were supposedly punished for the conflict but, in the last forty years the Turians have faced zero consequences for their brutality. Humanity should have been able to become a galactic superpower but, I am here to tell you we have not.

When the Thresher Maws started destroying our colonies, where was this supposed galactic community? When the Turians killed innocent women and children on Klendagon, where was the galactic community? When the Batarians put collars on and starved our son's and daughters, where was the galactic community? When a SPECTRE, a supposed peacekeeper for us all, gives speeches to 'death to Humanity' rallies, where is the galactic community? They will always protect their own, it is in their nature. The better question is, where is Humanities voice at the table? Surely not with the Alliance who gives in to any of the Council demands on a whim. Why else would Ambassador Goyle be removed from her post when her only crime was exercising caution when a Turian accused a Human of an unspeakable act. We need a new voice, one that will take our best interests to heart, and I am here to offer a solution. Cerberus.

Stay strong my brothers and sisters, for the time is coming for our rise.

The Illusive Man."

He reread the manifesto several times over before looking back up to Oleg, "It's the codex entry on Humanities history with a racist slant. What do you want me to do sir?"

Oleg pointed to the picture of Jack Harper, "I want you to kill him before he can do something truly terrible with that kind of idealism...."

_o0o_

Present day:

Feron stared at a smirking Oleg in the hologram, "Hello Kolyat..."

It was like a splash of ice cold water hit him in the face from the revelation. The man that assigned him to this job, the former head of the AIA, was a part of Cerberus. In retrospect, it made perfect sense. They would be able to track the progress of the Alliance and be able to legitimately transfer data back and forth between the two groups, having complete control over everything. From the very beginning, he had been set up to never be able to assassinate The Illusive Man. The only thing that gave him any comfort was the fact that Miranda seemed to be just as surprised as he was. She had genuinely believed he had a chance to kill her boss and hadn't tried to stop him. He noted however that now she was taking his pistol from the back of his waistband but, she did it carefully still trying to pretend she was handcuffed with her hands behind her back.

The Illusive Man stood up from his chair, "I will contact you when I am done here Oleg. Prepare for the war that is to come." Once Oleg disappeared, he started playing with his lighter while walking towards them, "Miranda, I am disappointed in you. I thought I could count on you to not interfere with another cell's affairs. Do you know what you could have potentially done to our plans?"

Miranda was surprisingly defiant, "Maybe if I understood what the plan was I wouldn't have interfered. You have left me in the dark where Cora is concerned, how do I know your making the right decisions?"

The Illusive Man bellowed in anger for the first time he had ever seen, "Since when have YOU gotten to decide what the right decisions were?"

Miranda still stood her ground glaring at him, "When have we ever disagreed on what was right or wrong for Humanity?"

Leng started to approach her, "Let me deal with her now, then I'll kill the frog."

Feron took a deep breath knowing if it was over for him, he could try and save her first. "I did it... I told the Turian sisters about the Andromeda Initiative from data I received in Donovan Hock's vault. I lied to get to you..."

The Illusive Man and Leng spun to face him in shock, having not suspected he was ultimately responsible. Feron was expecting to have Leng stab him on the spot but, BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. BANG. He turned his head to see Miranda was holding his gun and the muzzle was smoking. Turning his head in the other direction, Feron could see The Illusive Man was bleeding in several places before starting to crumple on the floor. Miranda had just done something he hadn't thought was possible, kill her mentor to save them. The question immediately running through his head was whether or not she had done that for the both of them or just herself?

Leng twisted to slide down next to his body laying on the ground, "NOOO! Father, father no. Please stay with me, no.no.no.no.no.no..."

His relief that his mission was finally over disappeared as he watched Leng's hand go through The Illusive Man's body. He looked up to see bullet holes in the wall and then back to the body realizing the pattern of the entry wounds didn't match Miranda's firing arcs. The only conclusion he could come up with was that The Illusive Man was murdered but, not by Miranda and not here. How the hell did that happen? It was an awfully strange coincidence that was keeping him in place. Did it happen at the same time? Had it been recorded some time ago? If that was the case, how long ago had he died and more importantly, who would kill him without bragging about it later? There were just too many questions and not enough time to answer them.

Leng's shout was terrifying, like he was a wounded animal, his rage blinding him from the fact that he couldn't be physically feeling anything, "I'm going to kill you for that!"

In one fluid motion, Leng stood up and thrusted his sword forward to stab Miranda's chest. With the knowledge that The Illusive Man was dead, somewhere, Feron used his biotics to warp in front of her and take the blow. The sword's edge cut into his belly like butter but, she was going to be ok. His only regret was not even attempting to have a reconciliation with his father, he had just assumed they had time after the mission was complete. Feron chose to believe Thane would be proud of him in this moment for doing what he never could, saving his siha. She would be able to see her sister again one of these days and keep her promise.

With another biotic blast, Feron sent Leng flying across the office, "Run."

Miranda fired the last of his clip at Leng who ducked behind The Illusive Man's chair, "Thank you..." She gave him a sad smile and started running down the hall.

As soon as she was gone Leng stood up and called his sword back into his armored hand with magnets making Feron stumble towards a wall for support, "You think your saving her right now? Guards, shut down all escape pods an-"

Cora Harper appeared alive and well on the hologram projector to interrupt him, "No, let her go."

Leng turned to face her, "What?! She just killed father! We have to make her pay for that!"

Cora's expression was one of sadness and loss, "Oh Kai, I wish that were true.... Father has been dead for two years now."

Feron groaned in pain but, needed to stay awake to be part of the conversation, "That's... That's not possible."

She moved through Leng's body ignoring his confused face to kneel down in front of Feron, "And why is that? Just because you've talked to him in that time...?"

Feron shook his head ignoring the pain, "No, because you've been afraid of him.....and recently." He let himself slip into the memory, "I listen to the recording desperately looking for an answer. 'December 4th, 2184 and finally we can wake him up. After putting so much time on freezing his brain in cryo, the transplant, scanning for indoctrination, all of it! I can happily say I brought Saren Arterius back to life with all of his memories and minus the Reaper indoctrination. The tech I traded with the Collectors really made all the difference in the world. And to top it all off, all they wanted in exchange was for me to keep Shepard in his cryo pod. Hopefully, this will be a big enough present to dad, otherwise I'm screwed.'" The memory snapped away, "Why would you be screwed months ago.. if you killed him two years ago...?"

Cora gave him a wild smile, "Did you not think I could've made those recordings much later? Specifically for your benefit Feron?"

Leng spoke a single word as he turned around to face her, "Why?"

The look on her face was one of pain and exhaustion as she stood up to face him, "For you Kai.. Everything I've ever done I've done it for you. When you were captured on Luna I wanted to go after you, but father wouldn't have it. He believed Miranda that you got caught by your own mistakes and not her making a move for power. I tried to get evidence she was behind everything but, Golo failed me on Noveria thinking about his own skin... Then, she took Virmire away from me so I panicked. I went to see father to try and tell him he was wrong about her, that you deserved better. We fought, I killed him.. Like he always said, 'Who we keep closest to us can hurt us the worst.'"

Leng was shaking now in anguish, "I...I just talked to him. I watched him die, and he's been ordering Shepard around for months. How is that possible?"

Feron knew the answer like a lightbulb coming on above his head, "Golo.."

Cora smiled down at him like he was a student who got the right answer for the first time, "Quarians are fascinating beings aren't they? They have the need to preserve the past even though it was their doom. Before the Morning War they would save copies of their ancestors knowledge onto artificial intelligence chips in order to receive their wisdom even after they had died." She stroked Feron's cheek with the hologram, "You never questioned why someone like me would have a Quarian as their second in command? According to you, I'm a racist."

Feron kept as much pressure on his wound so he would stay awake, "Why go through all the trouble? If you had all the power anyways?"

She was looking in his eyes now, "When I killed him, Miranda was more popular and had a stronger cell. Cerberus wouldn't have survived a civil war so, I made a copy of him. It wasn't perfect, wore the same suit, always stayed in this room, took a drink whenever he lied, worked against me occasionally but he was dad. Now, I have the video evidence of Miranda killing him." She stood back up to face Leng, "So you can take over all of the cells while I'm gone."

Leng took a few steps back, "Cerberus belongs to you. I am here to serve you, we were supposed to leave together..."

Cora sighed and gave him a virtual hug, "The Hyperion is making the final jump in twenty minutes. I'm sorry but, I need to do this last part of the journey alone. When I get back, everything will be different. I promised you a utopia without aliens remember? I'm going to give you that, I just don't know if I'll be there to see it."

Leng looked down at him, "What do I do with him? I could make the death slow."

Her hand wandered down to his pocket, "You know exactly what to do with him.. Think of it like a test run for what we talked about... Imagine her face when she sees." She gave Feron a sweet smile, "Cerberus thanks you for your service Feron."

She disappeared and Leng swept a hand over the chair that was going to be his, "No, Cerberus was weak..... Lazarus will rise from it's ashes." He pulled a small dead mechanical insect from his pocket, "And everyone that ever crossed me is going to pay, in the worst way possible."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I started this series, I had no idea I was going to get any kudos or bookmarks. I want to say to all of you that have gotten this far, thank you. This story is far from over and I intend to see it through till the very end of Mass Effect 6 (you read that right not a typo 6.) For everyone just interested in the story stop here and know Mass Effect 2.9: Arrival should be...arriving...soon. However, I thought I'd talk a little about myself to explain the occasional long delays.
> 
> I am actually physically disabled with Arthrogryposis (it's similar to CP) and I can't move my arms and legs. I've typed up this entire story with my mouth and a stylus in my free time. That can be a lot of hunting and pecking especially for completely original chapters like this one. I'm not telling you this for clicks or anything else, I just want to explain the lack of updates in certain stretches. I ask everyone to be patient and know this story is my baby and I'm not going to stop until everything is released.
> 
> To that end, I have a few spinoff ideas just rattling around my head that I don't feel like I can personally get to and respect the main stories. So I would be happy to collaborate with someone on spinoffs if people are interested in playing with me in my sandbox! Examples include an Archangel retelling, Hannah/Adrien relationship story and a fluffy Kal pilgrimage story. PM me only if you feel like it and are interested and we'll see if we can work something out! Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in the next step of the saga. As a squidy friend once said, "Prepare for the Arrival!"


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